A group spearheading a protest campaign in Mannar against the construction of new wind power plants on Mannar island said that the agitation would continue until the NPP government provided them with written assurance.
The group said so in response to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent directive to the cabinet that the ongoing projects would be halted. The President directed that projects shouldn’t be undertaken without the consent of the people of the area.
A mass torchlit demonstration took place in Mannar on Nov 11 as residents marked the 100th consecutive day of their protest against the construction of new wind power towers on Mannar Island.
The demonstration drew large crowds and was led by Rev. Father Marcus Adigalar and members of the protest committee, sources said.
The protest, which has become one of the longest-running environmental demonstrations in the North and East in recent years, has gathered significant momentum.
It follows months of sustained opposition to the installation of 14 new wind power towers, and echoes growing anger across the North-East over large-scale energy and mineral projects imposed without community consent.
Marking the hundredth day, protesters announced three urgent demands to the Sri Lankan government:
1. The immediate suspension and relocation of the proposed 14-tower wind project on Mannar Island.
2. A complete ban on ilmenite sand mining anywhere on Mannar Island.
3. Immediate redress for damages caused by the two existing wind power projects in Thambapavani and Naruvilikulam.
Residents said the government must formally recognise those demands and provide a written assurance of compliance. Only then, they stated, would the protest be brought to an end.
The Mannar protest has drawn national attention, particularly after Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently instructed the Ministry of Power not to approve additional wind projects on the island without the consent of local residents. Demonstrators, however, say no formal assurances have been given to that effect.