The powers vested with the Director-General of Archaeology were transferred to District Secretaries and Grama-Niladhari officers, the Department of Archaeology said on Saturday (Nov. 21).

“A special circular was issued in this regard. Thereby, the District Secretaries will be able to transfer certain powers to Divisional Secretaries who can then transfer powers to Grama Niladharis,” Prof. Senarath Dissanayake, the Director-General of Archaeology told News 1st on Saturday.

Speaking to News 1st, Prof. Dissanayake said, “The Department of Archaeology will not function in an isolated manner in the future, with District Secretaries being granted the authority to take action to prevent illegal activities that cause damages to archaeological sites and streamline the conservation of archaeological sites.”

According to Prof. Dissanayake, Grama Niladharis will be responsible for the conservation of archaeological sites within the respective division and can directly intervene to take necessary action to prevent any form of damages.