Lorries banned from entering Colombo

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 November 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government today banned all lorries and trucks from entering the city of Colombo. This follows high level discussions on Colombo's security arrangements following the Galadari bomb blast.

The Sri Lankan Police and military investigators say the bomb which ripped apart the country's business hub on Oct. 15 was brought in a lorry from the Batticaloa district.

The government said that if any lorry has to enter the city it has to get special clearance from the Deputy Inspector General of Police who is in charge of the city's security.

Colombo's whole sale commodity market which has suffered in the past due to other security restrictions which were introduced last year after the Central Bank bomb blast will be worst hit by this regulation.

The wholesale trade of the country which has traditionally been concentrated in the Pettah area in downtown Colombo will have to shift completely to another location outside the city or make alternative arrangements to have the massive quantity of commodities which flow into the city daily in lorries delivered to Pettah from an unloading point beyond Colombo.

The ban on lorries came as tremendous blow this morning to the whole sale trading community in Pettah.

Not only businesses but a large work force (the Naattaamai community) that is dependent on loading and unloading lorries in downtown Colombo will be hit below the belt by this ban said a businessman in Pettah this morning.

Related Articles:
15.10.97   Massive blast rocks Downtown Colombo
15.10.97   LTTE denies responsibility for Colombo blast