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Urgent call to stop the clearing of Hantanne land
View(s):The Hantanne Nature Conservation Society is demanding that authorities call a halt to the ongoing ‘rape’ of virgin lands in Hantanne which have been declared Biodiversity areas.
The society’s president Amith Senanayake said certain individuals backed by a local politician have cleared nearly one hundred acres of forest land. Mr. Senanayake added the clearing of forests in this area could trigger landslides in the future as the National Building Research Organisation has declared the area a landslide prone one.
The society is demanding that President Sirisena, as Minister of Environment take immediate steps to stop the rape of the biodiversity-rich forest by politically backed unscrupulous persons who seek to make profit through the reckless destruction of this virgin forest.
If the government does not intervene immediately the Hantanne forest will soon be no more and this could lead to a drying up of sources of water in the area, he said.