The report on deforestation at the Vilaththikulam Reserve near the Wilpattu North Sanctuary is ready for submission to the President, Forest Conservator General Anura Satharasinghe said.
Speaking to the Daily News, he said this report was based on a site visit he made along with a group of Department officials last Saturday.
The Forest Conservator General stressed that there had been no new felling of trees in the area, adding that the constructions were going on in the 270 hectares released for resettlement in 2013.
The report to be submitted to the President proposes removing already released 270 hectares from the ‘Reserve’ status.
The Forest Conservator General said,the “Vilaththikulam Reserve was declared in 2012 before the surveying of forests in the area was completed. At that time, it was done as a proactive measure to safe guard the forest cover in the area. Now the surveying is in progress and after it completes we proposes declaring Mavillu, Weppal, Marichchikadi and Vilaththikulam Reserves in the Silawathura area as one Reserve. All these reserves are interconnected. When that
happens, the 270 hectares already released for resettlement of war affected families will be out of the Reserve.”
As of the information in the report, 944 houses are to be constructed on 270 hectares. “Since 2013, 438 houses have been constructed in this area to resettle the displaced people. Another 506 houses are to be constructed. All these beneficiaries are in possess of land development permits given in 2013” the report said.
Satharasinghe also pointed out the State Timber Corporation had been asked to cut down the trees with a commercial value in this area in 2013.
“This had been done during the same year and the area now has the trees without any commercial value.
Some of those remaining trees are also being cleared for constructions. Except for these, there is no new felling of trees in the area,”
he stated.