Over Rs. 490 m spent for electric fencing; human-elephant conflict continues unabated

• Parliament Committee finds money spent in 2019, 2020 to put up 4,756 km electric fence
• Death tolls remains high with 28 humans and 83 elephants killed during last two years  

A sum of Rs. 490 million had been spent to put up electric fences in 2019 and 2020 to prevent human-elephant conflict, but the problem has continued unabated despite the efforts to reduce the conflict, it was revealed at a meeting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA).

The cost of constructing the electric fence in 2019 was over Rs. 275 million while in 2020, a sum of Rs. 221 was spent for the purpose. The total length of the electric fence constructed at this cost is 4,756 km.

However, as of 23 March, 28 human deaths and 83 elephant deaths have been reported in Sri Lanka due to human-elephant conflict, the Committee was told.

Committee Chairman MP Tissa Vitarana, State Ministers Dayasiri Jayasekara, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Prasanna Ranaweera, MPs Tissa Attanayake, Niroshan Perera, Mohamed Muzammil, S. Sridharan, Dr. Upul Galappaththi, B.Y.G. Ratnasekera, Weerasumana Weerasinghe, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a group of Government officials were present at the meeting.