The Court of Appeal today (19) directed the Jaffna Municipal Council to take all necessary measures to minimize air pollution in the Jaffna area.
The order was issued during the hearing of a petition filed by Dr. Uma Sukhi Nadarajah, a medical practitioner in Jaffna.
The two-judge bench, comprising Court of Appeal President Justice Rohana Abeysooriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando, delivered the directive.
During the proceedings, the presiding judge questioned the counsel representing the respondents as to whether the measures required under the environmental laws had been implemented to address the issue of air pollution in Jaffna.
Accordingly, the bench instructed the Jaffna Municipal Council to act in line with the provisions of the relevant statutes to prevent environmental pollution in the area. The Court further directed that the Central Environmental Authority should provide the necessary support in this regard.
The petition was filed by Dr. Nadarajah on the grounds that chemical waste and other pollutants released from factories in the Jaffna area were causing severe air pollution, and she requested that the authorities be compelled to take preventive action.
