People should co-operate with govt. to solve garbage issue: Vajira Abeywardene

Minister of Public Administration Vajira Abeywardene said it was sad that the individuals who organised protests to gain cheap political mileage from steps taken to dispose of garbage in Colombo had not proposed any means to resolve the issue.

Addressing a public meeting in Settikulam, Vavuniya, he said people would be left without a way to dispose of garbage collected in houses unless they joined hands with the government to resolve this national issue. The minister pointed out that the need of the hour was to find short-term and long-term garbage management plans and that the government had put forward several long-term solutions.

“The people obstruct any measure to resolve the issue. At present more than one million people a day visit Colombo. They leave a massive collection of garbage to be disposed of. It is the duty of all those concerned to co-operate with the authorities to resolve this national issue instead of resorting to protests, or else the people will have no alternative but to keep their garbage at home,” he further said.