The Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi - Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs
The Minister tabled a written answer stating that 5,085 archaeological sites have been identified, with the full list placed in the Library. He outlined protection measures including declarations under the Antiquities Ordinance, conservation and excavation work, regional maintenance arrangements, and public and school awareness programmes. The response noted that further details under part (b) were not applicable.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, I table the answer.
¶ 02 Answer tabled:
¶ 03 (a) (i) 5,085 sites. (ii) The list of site names is submitted in the annexure. [Placed in the Library.] (iii) Measures include: 1. Legal protection under the Antiquities Ordinance, No. 9 of 1940, by declaring Archaeological Reserved Lands (Declared Archaeological Areas) and Protected Monuments. Protected Monument status is conferred primarily on threatened or privately-owned sites, selected strictly on five criteria: integrity, rarity, aesthetic value, historical value, and research potential. 2. Identification of sites and monuments, excavations and conservation; bringing to light sites through excavation; identifying factors causing damage (natural and human); and restoring monuments using the most suitable conservation methods according to current condition. 3. Maintenance and upkeep of sites in addition to protection, through designated maintenance zones under regional archaeology offices. 4. Public and school awareness programmes for safeguarding the archaeological heritage.
¶ 04 (b) Not applicable.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 12 March 2025 ·No. 1744106534050382 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi - Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 12 March 2025. No. 1744106534050382. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/9432