COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has taken the unusual step of clearing thousands of wasps from a tea plantation to ensure Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not stung during his upcoming visit, reports AFP.
Police in Hatton, 125 kilometres (78 miles) east of Colombo, hired a private company to remove the wasps from its picturesque tea fields which Modi will tour with his entourage on Friday.
The private Bee Protection Organisation said they removed nests from two locations to ensure the Indian visitors could land in helicopters without stirring up trouble with the aggressive locals.
"There were two big nests near two helipads. At the time of landing, helicopters can disturb the wasps and they could sting people in that area," the head of wasp removal unit Tissa Bandara Thambavita told AFP.
"We have cleared the nests and declared the area safe for the VVIPs to visit."