Giant's Tank jungle - clearing vital

by P. Krishnaswamy

The clearing of the jungle around the Mannar Giant's Tank, that has currently run into controversy, was carried out on the repeated requests of the 10,000 agricultural families. During the clearing process, over 50 LTTE bunkers were destroyed, Irrigation Department Resident Engineer S.M.A. Nelugolla told the Sunday Observer. The LTTE Sea Tigers had used a 50 acre land area of the total 75 acre reservation land belonging to the Irrigation Department as their hideout and prevented authorities from carrying out rehabilitation of the Tank that provided irrigation water to over 20,000 acres of paddy land, he said.

The wrong location of spillway of the ancient tank was the cause for the destruction of 2,000 acres of crops, every year, and clearing of the jungle's shrubs and thick undergrowth was necessary for constructing the spillway at a suitable location and for preventing the breaching of bunds at vulnerable points. The Wild Life Department has objected to the jungle clearing citing the Fauna and Flora Act, overlooking the fact that it was done in the best interests of a large number of agricultural families and the region's food productivity. A 5000 acre bird sanctuary was located at Thanthrimalai, not too far from the area, he said, adding that the clearing was done with the approval of the Mannar Government Secretariat.

Mannar GA N. Vedanayagan confirmed to the Sunday Observer at the District Secretariat took a decision to move in the matter and to persuade the Irrigation Department to do the jungle clearing, consequent to the appeals from the farmer families.