Kandy - Most Venerable Mahanayaka Thero of Malwatta Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala told the city fathers of Kandy that he was not opposed to the re-opening the main road by the Sri Dalada Maligawa for motor vehicles.

The prelate was responding to the Mayor K. L. Suminda Wickremasinghe and the members of the Kandy Municipal Council, who called on him to mediate for the re-opening of the barricaded section of Dalada Veediya passing the Sri Dalada Maligawa to at least light motor vehicles to ease traffic congestion in the Kandy town and as a measure of preventing air pollution.

The Mahanayaka Thero said that he had also told President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Diyawadana Nilame that he had no objections to the re-opening that part of the road since the fear of terrorism was no more and that there was no imminent danger.

Former Mayors L. B. Aluwihare, and Kesara D. Senanayake, leader of the council’s opposition (UPFA) Sena Dissanayake, JVP member Anura Kumara, Kandy Municipal Commissioner Chandana Tennakoon and President Mahanuwara Sinhala Velanda Peramuna Buddhist Ramawickrema were among those who called on the prelate yesterday (05) morning.

On the heals of Prof. O.A. Illeperuma of the Chemistry Department of the Peradeniya University coming up with some disturbing findings about air pollution in Kandy Town, the Central Environment Authority (CEA) and the Air Resource Management Centre (AIRMAC) will begin two new probes in the hill capital next week.
Prof. Illeperuma told The Nation yesterday that he had found the air pollution levels in Kandy to be two to three times higher than Colombo depending on the whether patterns.
He also cautioned against carrying out tests this month as it would be misleading owing to rainy weather washing down much of the pollutant particles. “They should test either in August or in between November and February when the weather is dry,” he said.
AIRMAC Director Anura Jayatillake while admitting that air pollution levels being high in Kandy due to the place being a basin surrounded by hills thus preventing pollutants being blown off, however, said that it could not be as high as maintained by Prof. Illeperuma.

“If it is so, the place would be constantly covered by a pollutant mist with people unable to see beyond few metres as in places like Beijing and Mexico City,” Jayatillake argued.
Besides, he said the biggest air polluters were vehicles, yet it was the Western Province which accounted for more than 60% of the vehicles being run in the country.
Jayatillake said beginning Tuesday the CEA would measure the ambient air quality in the environment of the Kandy Bus Stand for one week using its mobile testing unit. This would be followed by six months of monitoring during which one day every week they would monitor the city’s air for 24 hours. “So, it will cover both wet and dry periods,” he said.
Coupled with the air monitoring programme, AIRMAC too will carry out spot emission checks on vehicles entering Kandy from at least three separate approaches on Tuesday and Wednesday with the assistance of the Police.
In this regard the AIRMAC Director will be meeting the Kandy GA and Police top brass there tomorrow.
Jayatillake said if any of the tested vehicles fail their emission test the relevant drivers’ driving licences will be retained till they obtain a fresh emission test certificate after necessary repairs.