Stay the operation of elephant trenches project: Centre for Environmental Justice tells the Supreme Court

The Centre for Environmental Justice has filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court seeking an order staying the operation of elephant trenches project, digging of elephant trenches in wildlife National Parks. The petitioner state that in the guise of Human-Elephant Conflict mitigation, trenches are being proposed to facilitate natural resource extraction from Protected Areas and soil and sand smuggling. The petitioners further state that the digging of trenches has already commenced at Udawalawa National Park and Lunugamwehera National Park with plans for trenches to be dug along electric fence lines, without any feasibility study, EIA, Climate Impact Assessment, Archeological Impact Assessment or recommendations by the relevant experts. The petitioner further stated that it is reported that large scale sand smuggling operation is being carried out under the guise of digging trenches for wild elephants in the Manampitiya and Karapola reserves on the boarder of the Flood plains National Park which is under the management of the Department of Wildlife conservation. The petitioner states that the trenches in wildlife landscapes impede the movement of all wildlife. The petitioner said Elephants fall into deep and narrow trenches will face severe injuries, including death. State Minister of Wildlife Protection Wimalaweera Dissanayake, Director General of Wildlife Conservation, Central Environmental Authority, Inspector General of Police, Attorney General and several others were named as respondents in the petition.