Hambantota dairy farmers affected by Ishara’s Albesia project

Sunday, 16 September 2012

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has given 1,500 acres near the Yala sanctuary to the head of LOLC, Ishara Nanayakkara to plant Albesia, this is used as a raw material to generate thermal power.

The Albesia plantataion has been initiated in this fertile soil in order to get the necessary supply of raw materials for a thermal power project belonging to Nanayakkara and a Chinese company.

The land in question had been a grassy land that was used by dairy farmers in the area to feed their cattle. However, the commencement of the Albesia project had dried up the land leaving the cattle without any food. A large number of families that depend on dairy farming in the area have been adversely affected by the project.

When the dairy farmers had requested for a meeting with the persons behind the Albesia plantation, LOC Head, Nanayakkara had assured the farmers that they would be provided with imported grass to feed their cattle.

The LOLC Chairman has however failed to honor his promise and the helpless farmers have not sought the help of the media to explain their plight.

Nanayakkara had immediately called his marketing manager, Susan Bandara and had prevented media reports from being published about the matter by bribing journalists.

An editor of a weekly national newspaper had been taken recently by Bandara on a tour in the area. It is learnt that the editor and his family had spent the weekend at the Peacock Beach Hotel on the expense of LOLC.

The editor had stopped the article on the dairy farmers as a token of gratitude to LOLC.