JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says there is an attempt to give a different meaning to large-scale deforestation.
He made the remarks while participating in a media briefing at JVP head office in Battaramulla.
The JVP leader said for a long time there were places where Chenas were cultivated, animals were kept and firewood was cut.
“These conditions, which had existed for centuries, did not turn into serious environmental disasters. We are not talking about a small Chena farm cultivated by farmers or releasing their animals into the jungle or cutting down a log. There is an attempt to give a different meaning to large scale deforestation. What we are raising is not a question of giving land to farmers. It is about giving lands to companies on a large scale in an environmentally destructive manner,” he added.