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Deputy Minister in buffalo storm
The Deputy Minister of Wild Life Palitha Thewarapperuma has been heavily criticised for his apparetly boorish behaviour by both farmers and religious leaders for freeing a number of head of wild buffaloe which were ravaginging cultivated land and destroying crops, in addition to posing a danger to human life.
Section of the herd of wild buffaloe captured by villagers and officials
The herd was captured with much difficulty on May 14, following a decision taken at the Nuwara Eliya Divisional Agricultural Committee. The committee planned to hand the herd to the owner of a cattle farm in Ambalantota.
Nine head of wild buffaloe which had been captured and tamed had kept tied at a location in Ambewela in preparation to be transported to Ambalantota when the Deputy Minister allegedly stormed the spot and opposed the plan to the move the herd.
Mr Thewarapperuma allegedly brushed aside attempts of government officials who explained the reason for the capture of the herd.
He went on to abuse officials and police personnel who were present insisting that the animals had been captured in order to sell them for meat.
He then forcibly freed the animals and left.
Angry farmers held a protest in Ambewela on Wednesday (16), expressing their disgust with the Deputy Minister.
At a media briefing convened by religious leaders in the area on Friday (18) participants further condemned the Deputy Minister’s actions.
Addressing the media briefing, Ven. Dambagolle Somananda Thera, President of the Nuwara Eliya Divisional Sasanaarakshaka Bala Mandalaya, said they strongly condemned the conduct of the Deputy Minister, who thwarted an attempt to solve a problem posed by wild buffaloes for years.
He further condemned Mr Thewarapperuma’s verbal abuse of government officials who had worked tirelessly to settle the problem.
Maulavi M.S.M. Saleem of the Kandapola Jumma Mosque pointed out that farmers, school children and office workers in the area for the past 15 years lived in fear of attacks by the herd.
After the media briefing, religious leaders proceeded to the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat and handed over a petition calling on authorities to take action against the Deputy Minister.
| Deputy Minister defends decision to free the animals Wildlife Deputy Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma yesterday defended his decision to free the wild buffaloes saying the animals were being treated cruelly. He told the Sunday Times when he was passing the Ambewala dairy farm last week, he saw grass mounds near several trees. He had told his driver to stop the vehicle and when he walked to the Ambewela farm border he found the wild buffaloes tied to these trees in a cruel manner with wounds visible on the necks of most. According to Mr. Thewarapperuma, he had immediately summoned the police, wildlife officers, the Nuwara Eliya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman, the Nuwara Eliya Divisional Secretary and other officials and asked them why the buffaloes were being treated in such a manner. The Nuwara Eliya Divisional Secretary and the agriculture officer had explained the wild buffaloes were damaging agricultural crops in the area. They had told the Deputy Minister that they wanted to tame the animals and take them to Hambantota and release them to certain dairy farmers. The deputy minister said that when he called the Hambantota Police, he was informed that there were no dairy farmers by those names. He said he believed that the animals were kept there to be transported to Ambalantota and sold for meat. “Each animal is worth about Rs.250,000 and the Police confirmed that the individuals named by the officials were actually cattle thieves (harak horu),” he claimed. The Deputy Minister said he ordered the officials to immediately free the animals and release them into the wild. He added the animals were from the Randenigala reservoir area and that they had been left them behind when the residents were relocated when the reservoir was built. | |
Villagers protesting the action of the Deputy Minister
Religious leaders convened a press briefing.
A petition was handed over to the Nuwara Eliya Secretariat