By Sepala Mahanama Lahugala Corr.
Two houses on Raja Mawatha near the 19th mile post were damaged and furniture and fittings destroyed by wild elephants.
Residents said that the area had been constantly threatened by wild elephants.
One villager said though there was a fence, it was not electrified. This had resulted in the elephants breaking through the fence and going into the villages.
One of the victims, W. M. Punchimenika (30) said that the elephants destroyed a house in their backyard one day around midnight and she was able to run out of the house in time and escaped. When they arrived in the morning they found even the main house attacked and their belongings smashed.
Now we are not in a position to repair the house as we are poor and the wild life officials said that they would not pay more than Rs 50,000 as compensation.
Saman Indika (30) said that the houses were built with money received as Samurdhi assistance and with the help of the villagers.
The damaged house had to be completely razed to the ground to construct a new house.
The elephants had also eaten the produce kept in gunny bags such as ‘kurakkan’ and other produce which were to be dispatched to the market, he lamented.
The damage caused to the house and furniture and the destruction of the harvest amounted to Rs 500,000, he said.
The elephant menace has to be brought to an end and it is the elephants chased away from the Pelwatte sugar cane plantation who invade the area, he said.
http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=37252
No comments:
Post a Comment