The Hon. Kins Nelson

¶ 01 Madam Presiding Member, I second the motion moved by Hon. Rohini Kavirathna.

¶ 02 As we mark 17 years since the end of the three-decade-long war, I thank our war heroes and all state leaders who led during the war.

¶ 03 The human-elephant conflict has persisted without solution. From 1 January to 30 April 2026, 35 people and 117 elephants have died. In Polonnaruwa District, which I represent, 22 elephants and 7 people died in that period, along with severe property and crop damage. Substantial funds were spent on fences, yet proposals have not yielded results, partly due to improper land allocations in those provinces that reduced elephant habitats.

¶ 04 In Polonnaruwa, at Maduru Oya National Park, domestic cattle should not be inside the Park. Elephants entering villages cause serious issues. Many schools are affected; a child was killed by an elephant in front of a school last month. Patients at Welikanda cannot go out at night due to elephants. Despite repeated appeals, solutions have not materialized.

¶ 05 Fences without adequate capacity are ineffective. Recently, batteries were inadequate; without maintenance, elephants break through. Many Civil Security Department (CSD) personnel have been attached to Wildlife; they are paid an allowance of Rs. 22,500, but after about six months many have not received it. They incur costs traveling from afar by motorcycle. Provide them the basic facilities. Wildlife staff are among the most under-resourced; I believe the Environment Minister is looking into this.

¶ 06 Recruitment shortages in the Department have been partly addressed by attaching CSD personnel; now provide necessary facilities. There is also a vehicle shortage; procurement is underway but must be expedited. If operationalized properly, we can reduce the conflict.

¶ 07 During harvest seasons, especially now in Yala, farmers store paddy at home due to lack of storage; elephants raid houses. I propose that farmer organizations identify households and provide containers to store paddy securely; elephants cannot break containers. Thank you for the opportunity.