The Hon. Deputy Speaker

¶ 01 Okay. I will proceed to the next Question for Oral Answers.

¶ 02 572/2025

¶ 03 ELEPHANT MANAGEMENT RESERVES IN HAMBANTOTA DISTRICT: ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTIONS AND CULTIVATIONS

¶ 04 7. The Hon. Athula Welandagoda asked the Minister of Environment:

¶ 05 (a) Will he accept that - (i) illegal constructions and cultivations are found in the elephant management reserves that are located adjacent to the boundaries of the Divisional Secretary’s Divisions of Hambantota, Tissamaharama, Lunugamvehera, Sooriyaweva and Ambalantota; and (ii) it is a grave constraint to the life of wild elephants?

¶ 06 (b) Will he inform this House - (i) what those illegal constructions and cultivations are; (ii) the short-term and long-term measures that will be taken regarding the illegal constructions and cultivations referred to above, separately; (iii) whether he is aware that the loss of lives and damage to cultivation in the farming lands outside the elephant management reserves concerned due to elephants rampaging into the farming lands have reached its peak; and (iv) if so, the number of people and wild elephants that had been killed so far in such encounters, separately?

¶ 07 (c) If not, why?