Formal Notices and Route Confirmation. Local-level public consultations and information disclosure is conducted continuously during the preliminary survey, as explained earlier. The next step would be the detailed route survey, at which further measures possible would be explored, to select a route with minimal damage to land and property, and disturbance to all concerned. For the purpose of entering lands for the purpose of the detailed survey, a written communication is issued to all land-owners, as required by Clause 15(1) of the Electricity Act. The owners of land and buildings likely to be affected are then identified and the route of the line is surveyed and mapped. The village officers, the Grama Niladhari (GN) of all the villages along the route will be involved in this process, and would be the contact person to liaise between CEB and the land owners or other affected parties. If case of any significant public concerns are conveyed to CEB, meetings are organised between CEB design/survey staff and village residents, NGOs and other representative bodies (such as religious institutions, which generally serve as a meeting place), to provide information to the public, request their views and to address any concerns they have about the line(s) and the right-of-way. Section 15-19 of the Electricity of No 19 of 1950 requires the owners of land and buildings affected to be formally informed and fully appraised about the line route and the likely impacts, and obtain permission to draw the line. Such land-owners (or other affected parties) are then issued with the notice in accordance with the provisions in the Electricity Act. This notice is commonly known as the D notice, in accordance with the Electricity Act. This notice elaborates the type of likely damages to each and every property along the line corridor. When land-owners cannot be identified, the D notice is prominently displayed on the affected land. Thus the D notice provides a means for comprehensive communication between CEB and affected parties. Trees to be removed and any buildings affected are identified with a marking. Affected persons receiving a D notice having any objections to the proposed line route may submit written objections within 14 days from the date of the D notice to the relevant DS, and the procedure for resolving such objections is explained in section 9.2.2.
