He said the mining and sand transportation had become a mafia, emphasizing that quick attention should be paid for prevention of the environmental pollution resulted due to indiscriminate mining.

The president noticed that the political authority and government officials have responsibility to protect the environment while ensuring relief to the people.

President Sirisena made these remarks at a meeting with public representatives and government officers of Ratnapura District at Auditorium in Ratnapura yesterday (Feb. 27).

The meeting has been organized to discuss about the development plans and issues arisen in the development projects, being carried out in Ratnapura District.

The public representatives called the President’s attention to the problems faced by the people due to the breakdowns of some development projects in the district. The President said the Government which has paid special attention on that regard will not allow those projects to be broken down.

The attention was also paid on the gem industry; the key business in Ratnapura District. The gathering extended special thanks to President for keeping the promise he made during Presidential Election, not to allow foreign companies to engage in gem industry in Sri Lanka.

When the public representatives revealed that some groups are taking the lands of paper factory in Embilipitiya forcibly, after its production work was stopped, the President instructed the officials to stop it.