Over Rs 149 m for electric fence

by S.M. Wijayaratne Kurunegala cor.

Sixty-seven persons died following wild elephant attacks in the Kurunegala district from 2009 to 2014. During this period, 53 wild elephants too had died due to various reasons. During these five years, 355 incidents of damage to properties by wild elephants too have been reported.

The Ministry of Economic Development has already approved a Rs 149.1 million to construct an electric fence to protect human settlements from wild elephants and of that a Rs 85 million have been received already, said the Kurunegala District Secretary H.M.P. Hitisekara at a meeting held recently at Kurunegala District Secretariate.