Law to regulate construction of places of worship soon

Obtained approval from the Cabinet of Ministers for his proposal to draft a new Bill

The Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs had taken steps to introduce a new law to regulate the construction of places of religious worship, officials said yesterday.

The decision had been taken in the wake of communal unrest in some areas over such constructions which were undertaken without any authorisation. Ministry Secretary M.K.B. Dissanayake told Daily Mirror yesterday that he had obtained approval from the Cabinet of Ministers for his proposal to draft a new Bill to be enacted by

Parliament later.

Mr. Dissanayake said that the Cabinet had requested him to provide them with a framework for the proposed Bill. "This is to regulate the construction of places of religious worship. We are expected to submit our proposals to the cabinet within a period of three months. Then, a committee represented by all the religions would be asked to study them," he said.

Asked about the Grandpass incident, he said it that the mat-

This is to regulate the construction of places of religious worship. We are expected to submit our proposals to the cabinet within a period of three months

ter was settled amicably with the intervention of the representatives of both Buddhist and Sinhala communities. He stressed the importance of religious harmony in the country.