President Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to appoint an expert committee to inquire into and report on a request for 5,000 acres of land for two Buddhist temples in Mullaitivu and Trincomalee.
There is a request for 3,000 acres for Kurundi Vihara in Mullaitivu and another 2,000 acres for Thiriyaya Vihara in Trincomalee.
The president has ordered an inquiry into determine on what grounds such amounts of land are required for the two temples.
Archaeological purposes have been cited as the reason to request the land out of state land owned by the wildlife, wildlife conservation and land departments.
These amounts of lands had been allotted by a presidential task force on archaeology appointed during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime.
Meanwhile, the secretary to the president has informed Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera that no decision has been taken to transfer state land within Kurundi Vihara to outsiders.
