Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasekera says the section of the Colombo–Kandy Road near the Pahala Kadugannawa landslide site cannot be reopened for vehicular movement until the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) completes a safety inspection and issues its assessment.
According to the Deputy Minister, preliminary reports indicate the presence of an unstable soil layer above the landslide point, leaving little possibility of reopening the road yesterday.
Speaking to the media about the prevailing disaster situation, Gunasekera stressed that unauthorised construction on land identified by the NBRO as having unstable soil conditions has contributed to incidents of this nature.
He further pointed out that several trains continue to operate along the railway line situated above the affected location. Vibrations generated by passing trains, he warned, pose an additional risk of further destabilising the already fragile soil layers.
Authorities have urged the public to follow official advisories and avoid the affected area until safety measures are confirmed.
