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Minister to seek cabinet nod to evict encroachers from elephant corridors
View(s):By Chris Kamalendran
A cabinet paper is being prepared to evict encroachers from elephant corridors, Wildlife Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.
He said alternative locations would be needed to relocate the people who would be evicted.
The minister said meetings were being held in various places to obtain the views of officials. On Friday a meeting was held in Polonnaruwa, with officials from the neighbouring Anuradhapura and Batticaloa districts attending.
Mr Amaraweera said that funding would be required to implement the plan as a solution to the human-elephant conflict and the possibility of obtaining foreign assistance was being explored.
He said he also had plans to invite political party representatives to draw up a national plan aimed at resolving the conflict which has claimed both human and elephant lives.
He said the human-elephant conflict had been going on for too long and the problem needed to be halved in two years.
Wildlife Ministry Secretary Chandra Herath said officials, farmer organisations, and other stakeholders were invited to Friday’s meeting and one of the proposals was that farmers should set up a coordinating committee to keep the authorities informed on the problems they faced.
She said so far there was no proper information on encroachments into elephant corridors by the people and that should be sorted out first.
Wildlife Director General Chandana Sooriyabandara said resolving the issue would not be an easy exercise.
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