The opinion of the Director General of Archeology that the Department of Archeology has not gazetted the Polonnaruwa Historical tank as a Archaeological Area is incorrect and a gazette notification issued on 10th March 1931 specifically mentions the area around the Polonnaruwa Parakrama Samudra, Chairman of the organization Ven. Kaduruwela Dhammapala Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Chief Justice of the North Central Province Kaduruwela Jayanthi Vihara says.
He said this while revealing to the media that the documents submitted by the officials regarding the construction of the walkways on the bund of the Parakrama Samudra were forged and prepared without any study in a hurry.
He further said that development work was being carried out secretly during the quarantine curfew without obtaining any feasibility studies or environmental assessment reports or archeological reports regarding the construction of walkways on the Parakrama Samudra tank bund.
“There is not much in the world like Parakrama Samudra. There is only one. It is our great lake. It cannot be demolished one by one. This is a historical archeological heritage. However, no one came and conducted a field inspection and reported.
The Director General of Archeology had told the media that this was not a heritage of archeology. But he too has forgotten that the gazette notification issued on March 10, 1931 clearly states that among the places within the Topawewa is the Ruvins in Tank. All the archeological sites of Thopa Wewa belong to it. This bund also belongs to it. Is it said in the tank without the tank wall? So all this is lying. To the best of our knowledge, we have to say that these documents are fake reports made in a hurry.
Have you done the feasibility study and taken the reports? Therefore, this work has to be done on top of our dead trunk. Now this destroyed area about 700 to 1000 meters needs to be re construct as soon as possible. The rain is round the corner. We dedicate our lives to protect our lake. Now it is reported that there is no money to repair the cracks in the tank bund. We cannot accept that” He also said.
The following picture shows Ven. Dhammapala Thero and the gazette notification.
Isha Mudiyanse