The Sri Lankan government now says it will consider alternatives to the no-building-zone regulation in areas of land shortage. The Sri Lankan government now says it will consider alternatives to the no-building-zone regulation in areas of land shortage. “Our position is very clear. The buffer zone applies but we acknowledge that there are difficulties (of relocating tsunami victims) due to the lay of the land,” said chairman, TAFREN (Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation), Mano Tittawella.
“A committee has been appointed to look at alternative strategies and come up with a policy that would allow some degree of flexibility,” said Tittawella.
The government’s buffer zone regulation bans all construction within 100m of the western coast and up to 200m in the east coast.
The government said the no-building zone was imposed to protect coastal communities from not just another tsunami but also more common natural disasters like tidal waves.
The regulation ran up against opposition from many quarters with the government accused of using the tsunami to take over valuable coastal land, but the biggest obstac