Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that relevant authorities turn a blind eye when rich people fell trees, but if a farmer encroaches on a couple of acres for a chena cultivation, he is brought to book and dealt with severely according to the rules and regulations.
The Hambantota District Development Committee Meeting was held recently with the participation of the Irrigation Minister and State Minister of Internal Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management Chamal Rajapaksa, Environment Minister Mahinda Amwraweera and Southern Province Governor Willie Gamage. Parliamentarian and DDC Chairman Upul Galappaththy presided the meeting.
The destruction caused to the lives, houses and properties and cultivations in the human-elephant conflicts was discussed at the meeting at length. Wild elephants invade villages mainly because of setting up of housing projects on elephant corridors, they said.
The Wildlife Southern Province Assistant Director said that land belonging to Mahaweli Authority and the Wildlife Conservation Department should be vested with the Wildlife Department to be used as wildlife management areas
Minister Chamal Rajapaksa urged the relevant authorities to educate the people of the areas that wild elephants invade more often and take steps to maintain electric fences and other safety methods to safeguard them.
