Former North Central Province Governor Maheepala Herath has been accused of abusing his authority to illegally operate a hotel under his wife’s name within the Peramiankulama reservation, officials confirmed today.

North Central Province District Secretary Sudarshana Dissanayake said that unauthorised buildings constructed on 60 perches of land within the reservation had recently been demolished.

On 18 September, Dissanayake issued a letter to former Governor Herath’s wife, Ajanta Rapsari Herath, instructing her to remove the illegal structures within one month. Instead, the former Governor reportedly deployed a group of workers to secretly demolish and remove the buildings himself.

This incident comes as part of a broader government initiative to demarcate tank reservations in Anuradhapura District, jointly carried out by the Irrigation Department and other state agencies. The Survey Department recently placed boundary stones at the Peramiankulama reservation, confirming that the disputed buildings had been erected inside protected land.

Dissanayake further revealed that the unauthorised structures had even been supplied with electricity by the Ceylon Electricity Board.

With the completion of all surveying and demarcation work, authorities have now clearly established the reservation boundaries. During this process, it was also found that several government quarters, hotels, and even a religious site had been constructed within the Peramiankulama tank reservation. The matter will be presented to the relevant committee for further decision-making, Dissanayake added. (Courtesy: Lankadeepa)