Employees of the brick industry are engaging in a protest in Ambatenna, blocking the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road.

Around 12,000 people from the villages of Pahatha-Dumbara, Egodagama, Meegodagama, Kalugalwatta, and Bollegoda depend on the brick industry for their livelihood.

As of now, these people obtain the clay needed to manufacture bricks from areas surrounding their villages.However, the protesters charge that the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau are not issuing the necessary licenses for them to transport clay.

They state that they cannot continue their industry as a result of this dilemma.

Our correspondents report that heavy traffic is being reported on the A9 road as a result of the protest.

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