Govt. to claim damages for waste containers shipped from UK
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka has made a Rs 1.6 billion claim from those responsible for shipping 263 containers of waste from the United Kingdom to Sri Lanka without proper clearance two years ago. However it is not clear whether the claim is being made from the UK government or the company responsible for shipping the waste.
Officials at the Ministry of Environment said on Tuesday (6) the claim had been made through the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. They also said formal complaint has already been registered, but were unable to confirm who was being held responsible for making the payment.
The total damage caused is estimated at Rs 1,694,274,751 the ministry said.
the Ministry of Environment, in a media statement on Tuesday said 130 of the containers were lying at a yard in the Katunayake Free Trade area and 133 at the Colombo Port.
On September 27, officials inspected 21 of the 133 containers at the Colombo Port and re-exported them to the UK. The examination of the remaining containers is on-going the statement said, adding they will also be returned to the UK shortly.
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