Colonization Schemes: What Did The B-C Pact Say?
By R. Sampanthan -December 16, 2013
R Sampanthan MP
I am happy to follow the Minister, the Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, who, I think, in the course of his statement referred to the multifarious problems that exist in the North and the East pertaining to State land. I will be dealing with some of these issues in the course of my speech.
Lands, Sir, is a fundamental issue. It has enormous influence on vital aspects of human activity and it is crucial, particularly from the point of view of the affected people, like persons displaced during the war and so on. There are private lands. Large extents of private lands are to be acquired by the Government in both the North and the East. The owners are opposed to such acquisition. These are lands on which these people have lived for generations and centuries. People have gone to court in regard to this matter and the Government has given certain commitments to court on this question. But, unfortunately, those commitments have not been kept. In fact I have raised some of the issues in Parliament and I have been given some commitments on the Floor of this House, but unfortunately, even those commitments are not being kept.
There are substantial lands held on permits issued by the State. There are lands possessed by people over long periods of time for which they have not been issued permits because Governmental machinery has not functioned in some of these areas efficiently for a long period of time. No land kachcheries have been held. Necessary action was not taken by Government to give land to landless people. These people are landless people and are entitled to receive land. There is documentary proof of the fact that they have cultivated those lands or lived on those lands. There is what is known as the “Dappu” entered in regard to paddy fields. There are also other documents with Local Government officials to establish that people have possessed these lands. It is necessary that all these people must be given those lands. It is also necessary that a vast number of people who do not have lands are also given lands to enable them to live on such lands and to cultivate such lands.
People were displaced, Sir, in large numbers both in the North and the East. Some have returned Some are unable to return because their lands, particularly agricultural lands, are unlawfully held by others. Those lands have been encroached upon, trespassed upon by other persons and are being held by those persons, largely new settlers from adjoining areas in the East and in the North, such lands are held by the military.
