COLOMBO (News1st): Residents of the Ampara district are calling for the protection of the Thimbirigolla forest that has been subjected to deforestation on multiple occasions.

Locals claim that around 9000 acres of the forest have been grazed in the 44,000-hectare forest reserve in Bakmitiyawa since the end of the war.

The Thimbirigolla forest reserve was gazetted as a forest reserve on October 1, 2010.

Our correspondent reported that the wildlife conservation department has granted permission to cultivate on land areas that have been cleared by external entities.

The ancient stone pillars located in the forest reserve have also been destroyed.

On October 1, the grama niladhari officer in the area had summoned all those engaged in cultivation in these lands, to inform them of the government’s proposed program to cultivate rubber.

These individuals were registered for rubber cultivation on the same day and the vehicles belonging to them were registered in other provinces.

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