COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan court Friday blocked President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's controversial move to relax restrictions on sand mining and transport which conservationists said threatened fragile river eco systems.

High quality river sand is widely sought by the construction industry. A two-judge bench ruled that the government had no powers to remove tight controls established under a 1992 law to protect the environment and eco systems along rivers across the island.

Court of Appeal president A. H. M. D. Nawaz ordered police to enforce controls over the transportation of sand and other construction aggregates despite the government waiving the strict licensing for sand mining and transport.