The Hon. Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment
The Minister acknowledged the complexity of the human-elephant conflict and stated that, once land is transferred to Divisional Secretaries, decisions on its use fall under their authority. He said proposals to create reserves or protective measures in sensitive areas could be considered through due process under the Ministry’s “Green Country” programme, though the process would take time. He added that the Ministry cannot directly intervene in lands already released to Divisional Secretaries but is willing to discuss specific proposals.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Member, your point about the complexity of the human‑elephant issue is correct. Once lands are handed to Divisional Secretaries, decisions rest with them. If proposals are brought to establish reserves or protective measures in sensitive areas, we can consider them under due process. Under the Ministry’s “Green Country” programme, such proposals for sensitive zones can be evaluated, but it is a lengthy process. We cannot act directly now on lands already released to Divisional Secretaries; however, we are open to discuss concrete proposals.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Friday, 23 January 2026 ·No. 23290 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/14316
Cite as: The Hon. Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 23 January 2026. No. 23290. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/14316