The government has set up Environment Protection Units island-wide. They have been tasked with nabbing and charging people who pollute the environment. Offenders would be dealt with severely, Presidential Secretariat sources said.

DIG (Crimes) Anura Senanayake said that the units functioned under the direct supervision and guidance of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and no mercy would be shown to the offenders.

DIG Senanayake said the units had begun functioning with effect from Tuesday and by yesterday, several boutique keepers had been hauled up before courts for haphazardly disposing of garbage and their failure to keep the environment tidy. They had pleaded guilty and heavy fines imposed, he said.

Senanayake said 142 such units had been established in Police stations and each of them functioned under an Inspector of Police assisted by an SI, two Sergeants, six PCs and two WPCs. The units would operate round the clock and be accountable to the DIGs.

Eight units have been set up in Colombo under DIG Senanayake’s personal supervision. The Special Operations Room of the units could be contacted at the Police HQ on telephone number 011-2333496.

In Colombo the following Police officers could be contacted:

Pettah-IP W. D. Weerasinghe (3133720), Slave Island – IP H. D. U. A. Senviratne (3133637), Maradana - IP T. Emmanuel (3050580), Kirullapone-SI Saman Jayasundera (3188884), Bambalapitiya-IP Upali Munasinghe (3133710), Cinnamon Gardens-IP Ranjith Lal (3133660), Kotahena-SI W. M. Gunaratne (3188794) and Dematagoda- IP Terrence Padmasiri (3081036).(Island)