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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Thursday, 6 February 2025

10th Parliament· 13 debates· 253 speeches· 66 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1739271735020022 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  4. 4 Oral question Oral Question: Human-Elephant Conflict (Q.3/2024) 6 speeches
    • The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kins Nelson SJB

      AI summary Hon. Kins Nelson asked the Minister of Environment to provide annual, wildlife-zone-wise data from 2015 to date on human and wild elephant deaths caused by the human-elephant conflict. He also requested details of measures taken to achieve a permanent solution to the conflict, or reasons if such information cannot be provided.

      EnvironmentLaw & Order Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment JJB

      AI summary Minister Dammika Patabendi responded to a question on human-elephant conflict, reporting that both elephant deaths and human deaths increased in 2020–2024 compared with 2015–2019. He outlined current mitigation measures, including 5,612 km of electric fencing, deployment of Civil Security personnel, elephant-driving operations, compensation payments, GPS-based research, problem-elephant management, and steps to gazette identified elephant corridors. He also cited zonal management, habitat enrichment, village awareness, lighting, and trials of deterrent technologies such as drones, ultrasonic devices, bee sounds, chilli-based methods, and spiked rubber mats.

      EnvironmentLaw & Order Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kins Nelson SJB

      AI summary Kins Nelson raised concerns about severe human-elephant conflict in the Polonnaruwa District, affecting both farmers and schoolchildren, including 88 schools in the Dimbulagala Education Zone and 59 in the Hingurakgoda Education Zone. He cited the death of a schoolchild on 22 January in the Dimbulagala Divisional Secretariat Division and a subsequent attack on a farmer by the same elephant, asking why it had not been captured and relocated. He requested the Minister to state specific measures to address departmental shortcomings such as fuel shortages, broken vehicles, and inadequate maintenance of electric fences and elephant drives.

      AgricultureSecurity & DefenceEducation Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi addressed the human-elephant conflict, noting that both people and elephants are being lost and that reports had been received on the incident raised by the Member. He said the Government is implementing immediate measures in affected areas while developing longer-term solutions, despite staffing and logistical constraints faced by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and other agencies. He stated that adequate funding would be allocated in the forthcoming Budget, with inter-agency coordination and new research to support sustainable responses.

      EnvironmentPublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Kins Nelson SJB

      AI summary Hon. Kins Nelson raised concerns that existing electric fences to prevent human-elephant conflict have not been maintained, with non-functioning batteries, no electricity in guard huts, and overgrown corridors reducing effectiveness. He requested that the Civil Security Department be re-engaged to help maintain fence corridors and that the fences be fully repaired before the upcoming Maha harvest. He warned that otherwise elephant-related damage to crops, stored paddy, homes, and livelihoods would increase despite compensation payments.

      Security & DefenceAgriculture Full speech →