Kandy Police keep tab on ‘carnival businessmen’

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Several businessmen in Kandy who are hosting carnivals and entertaining large crowds converging on the town for the Esala Randoli pageant have posed a problem for the police, Central Range Senior DIG Gamini Navaratne told the Sunday Observer .

These carnivals organised without the approval of the police have caused traffic congestion and other problems relating to security where several VIPs and dignitaries are expected to attend the final days of the Randoli perehera.

This is also a distraction and it is unethical to host such events to coincide with the sacred pageant,” he said.

The carnivals are held in the heart of the Kandy town at Bogambara and near the Kandy Lake in close proximity to the Dalada Maligawa. “Police are keeping a close tab on these carnivals whether gambling and liquor is being sold to people who patronise them. We are also monitoring the situation to as certain whether the blaring music played over loudspeakers after 10 p.m. is a violation of the Supreme Court ruling,” Senior DIG Navaratne said.However, the carnival at Getambe has not posed a security or traffic problem as it is away from the Kandy town.

Police have been instructed to take action against persons who indulge in gambling at these carnivals, he said.