A special high-level discussion aimed at establishing a new mechanism to control and maintain uniform prices of sand and gravel in the Northern Province, while ensuring uninterrupted supply according to public needs, was held this Tuesday morning (10 March 2026) at the Governor’s Secretariat under the chairmanship of Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan.
To directly examine and find solutions to the current challenges in sand and gravel supply in the Northern Province, the Chairman of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, Saman Jayasinghe, participated specially in this discussion at the special invitation issued by the Governor.
At the beginning of the discussion, Hon. Governor N. Vethanayahan stated:
“The uncontrolled activities of sand mafias have caused sand prices in the province to rise extremely sharply. This year, a large number of housing projects and development initiatives are to be implemented in the Northern Province. In this situation, ordinary people are facing the unfortunate circumstance of being unable to obtain even sand for their daily needs.
Sufficient cooperation has not been received from the Northern Province office of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau to control this. Permits obtained to transport sand from Trincomalee to Jaffna are in practice being used to load and transport illegally excavated sand from Kilinochchi.
Furthermore, when government institutions apply for permits to supply sand, there are delays. However, the Bureau grants permits immediately to individuals. These practices must be completely reformed. Special committees should be established under the leadership of District Secretaries, and the procedure for issuing permits should henceforth be carried out only through those committees,” the Governor strongly demanded.
Subsequently, addressing the meeting, Chairman of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, Saman Jayasinghe, said:
“I fully agree with the points raised by the Governor. This issue can only be resolved through an integrated plan. I am well aware of the problems created by sand mafias. Yesterday, while traveling from Colombo to Jaffna, we witnessed illegal sand excavation taking place near the lagoon on the Paranthan-Poonakari road in the Kilinochchi District. When we went there directly, they fled.
In line with the Governor’s request, by issuing permits to local authorities and public organizations through district committees, sand and gravel supply and prices can be brought under control. Similar practices are followed in other parts of Sri Lanka as well. Additionally, in the future, we plan to fully digitize the operations of our Bureau. From 2027 onwards, applications for permits will be submitted online, and all procedures will be carried out with transparency,” he stated.
Northern Province Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police, Buddhika Siriwardena, commented:
“The police are continuously taking measures to prevent illegal sand smuggling. Raids have also been intensified. However, this cannot be completely controlled by the police alone. Issuing permits to public organizations through district committees would be a very effective mechanism,” he said.
In the subsequent open discussion, District Secretaries highlighted several key issues. They pointed out that the three types of permits; for sand excavation, storage, and supply are being issued to the same individuals or the same families, and that they are not given any prior notification regarding the issuance of permits.
A mechanism was proposed to wash and extract sand from five tanks in the Kilinochchi District and distribute it through local authorities. It was stated that through this, a tipper load of sand could be sold in Jaffna for approximately Rs. 60,000.
S. Kapilan, the Northern Province Coordinator of the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ Task Force and Coordinator of the Jaffna District Coordinating Committee, emphasized the necessity of accurately assessing the real sand needs of each district, through which supply and prices can be maintained uniformly.
An idea was also put forward to sell sand for the small needs of the public through local authorities, similar to cement sales. It was stated that if people carry it with a receipt obtained from the local authority, the police would not cause any obstruction.
Decisions were taken to:
– Form a special district-level committee under the leadership of the District Secretary, including all relevant parties such as the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau.
– Conduct field surveys to identify locations where sand and gravel can be obtained.
– Carry out distribution activities only through registered associations.
– Hold provincial-level review meetings twice a year to monitor the continuous progress of this new mechanism.
The special meeting was attended by many senior officials, including the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province, the Secretary to the Governor of Northern Province, the Secretary of the Provincial Ministry of Local Government, the Deputy Chief Secretary (Engineering Services), the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (Northern Province), Deputy Inspectors General of Police, District Secretaries of the five districts, the Commissioner of Local Government of Northern Province, Provincial Directors of the Irrigation and Road Development Departments, senior officials from the Central Environmental Authority, the Department of Forest Conservation, the Survey Department, and representatives of the Construction Contractors’ Association.
