Colombo, Oct. 19 (Daily Mirror) - Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya today said the Government was taking legal action over the death of the tusker Kavantissa, highlighting the need to end the killing of wildlife through shootings, set-guns and electrocution.
Addressing the Presidential Environmental Awards 2026 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), she said the Government was prepared to strengthen wildlife protection through training, addressing the shortage of veterinary surgeons and seeking international expertise if necessary.
She said environmental protection must be treated as an essential part of national development, adding that development that destroys the environment could not be considered sustainable.
The Prime Minister said the Government had provided 100 pickup trucks, 185 motorcycles and nine tractors to strengthen field operations by the Departments of Wildlife Conservation and Forest Conservation.
She also said 5,000 Civil Security Department personnel had been deployed to maintain electric fences aimed at mitigating the human-elephant conflict, while steps were being taken to recruit around 1,600 additional officers for the Ministry of Environment.
Emphasising the importance of environmental governance, the Prime Minister said environmental laws must be enforced fairly and equally, without being influenced by personal interests, wealth or external pressure.
She said environmental protection was not an obstacle to development but an investment in the country's future. The Government was also taking steps to provide incentives for businesses to adopt green technologies.
She said the Government's goal of building a prosperous country and ensuring a better quality of life for all could not be achieved through economic growth alone, noting that access to clean air, safe drinking water and a healthy ecosystem was equally important.
The Prime Minister said the 'Clean Sri Lanka' programme was not merely a campaign to remove waste from streets but a broader national transformation aimed at changing public attitudes and encouraging the participation of schoolchildren, public servants, university students and the general public.