By Saman Indrajith

The government that came to power promising to increase the forest cover by 30 percent had now handed over 700,000 acres of land belonging to the Wildlife Conservation Department to Divisional and District secretaries, Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella told parliament yesterday.

 The Chief Opposition Whip asked the government to inform the House of the rationale behind placing lands under the purview of the Divisional and District secretaries.

“The government has, through Gazette No 1 of 2020, shifted the ownership of 700,000 of acres from Wildlife Conservation to the divisional and district secretaries. In his policy Manifesto President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised to increase the forest cover of the country by 30 percent. Would you be able to increase the forest cover by placing them under Divisional and District secretaries? The objective is clear. The government is paving the way for the alienation of the forest lands.”

Kiriella said that many youth had raised their concerns in social media in this regard but the government had not yet responded.

Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that the forest lands under the Wildlife Department would not be given away for other purposes and requested the Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Ratnayake to respond.

Minister Ratnayake said that he would give a detailed response at a later date and added that the forests belonging to the Wildlife Department would not be given away. “Only the ownership of the lands in the buffer zone would be transferred. This is done to rectify some errors. There are some lands belonging to the Wildlife Department but already utilised for other purposes. They should be transferred. For example in some towns such as Ratgama and Ambalangoda in the Galle District there are lands belonging to the Wildlife Department. For example, in Ambalangoda the land area covering a school, the bus stand and market belongs to the Wildlife Department. Ampara town is sitting in a land designated as a sanctuary. These errors should be rectified. Shouldn’t we do so? I would give a detailed answer later.”

 Matara District SJB MP Buddhika Pathirana said that buffer zones of the forests were also part of those forests. “They are like the coronary arteries of the heart. When you damage and destroy the buffer zone the forest is not safe.”