Forty acres of land were bulldozed at the Thanamalwila-Bodagama border of the Udawalawe National Park
several days ago, alleged a top environmental activist.
Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) Executive Director, Hemantha Withanage, alleged that a doctor was responsible for this activity and had, in the process, damaged an electric fence built by Wildlife Conservation Officers to mitigate the human-elephant conflict.
Noting that this could result in trouble for residents of the area, he stressed that the Government should not issue legal documents to those that have occupied or developed State lands without any official documents.
Eunice Ruth
Ceylon Today