Saturday, May 23, 2015

The Political Cradle 2

Emotional reactions from concerned parties on Wilpaththu National Park issue is threatening to lead the country into a  state of commotion.

 I visited this park in 2004 as soon as it was first opened to public since 1985 by the then UNP government.
At the first hand the deposed President Mahindha Rajapaksha is the person who authorized the resettlement in the concerned area,  through  his autocratic style.  

Any area of 2 to 3 KM stretch surrounding the border of any Park is a sanctuary.  

But the same person MR had raised this issue for the cause he wanted to achieve politically ........and the vociferous wildlife lovers are reacting too emotionally after being kept silent by and during MR’s autocratic silencing! One exception was BBS

The wildlife lovers cannot except to change the things overnight, that has been a resettlement area for six years after the war ignoring and risking human habitation. Deposed leader had made a blunder in this and His Excellency Maithripala Srisena on course for correcting the damages and destruction caused to this oldest,largest and historically important national park of this tiny island. That is why most of the wildlife lovers are emotional and reactive, though some of them politically motivated. 
But the President quite rightly had effected a full stop to all degradation of park and adjoining sanctuary and had called for a report of the officials. Whatever the outcome of the report sanity and humanity should prevail for living human and biodiversity.
If it is found without any doubt that there is a human habitat within the sanctuary bordering the park,  suitable land should be allocated far outside the area to all those family by family  before ordering  the eviction and effecting it. Based on the experience I had as National Consultant Wildlife Veterinarian, to the Dept. of Wildlife and Conservation, any eviction order without alternative land for those who have been badly directed by the state itself would delay the eviction proper and practically it would be more threat to the wildlife diversity than in the prevailing situation.   

 

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