Sri Lanka, April 20 -- The Northern Province Governor N. Vethanayahan has ordered the temporary suspension of sand mining permits issued in Mannar last March, as a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into alleged large-scale irregularities gets underway. The directive was issued during a meeting on sand distribution held at the Mannar District Secretariat on April 18, chaired by District Secretary K. Kanageswaran, with the participation of State Minister Upali Samarasinghe, MP M. Jegatheeswaran and officials.

Officials noted that weak coordination among institutions had contributed to irregular permit issuance and unregulated sand extraction, resulting in environmental degradation and public safety concerns.

Addressing the mee...