Govt. to resettle evicted Ragala estate families, says deputy minister
COLOMBO – The government is in discussions with the Land Reform Commission to resettle six families who were evicted from St. Leonard’s Estate in Ragala following a court order, Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure S. Pradeep Sundaralingam said.
Speaking at a forum in Colombo on Friday (17), Sundaralingam said the government was exploring ways to ensure the affected families could be resettled within the same area.
The discussion, titled ‘Opportunities and Challenges in Protecting Land, Housing Rights and Other Human Rights of the Hill-country Tamil Community’, was organized with the support of the Act Now youth organization at the J.D.A. Perera Gallery.
The deputy minister said the government was also considering broader measures to prevent the immediate eviction of hill-country residents from lands occupied for generations following adverse court rulings in cases filed by the Land Reform Commission.
“Whenever court decisions in Land Reform Commission cases go against hill-country communities, the government is paying close attention to finding mutually acceptable solutions to prevent their immediate displacement,” he said.
Sundaralingam said discussions had already been held with Minister Lal Kantha, who oversees the Land Reform Commission, to explore possible administrative solutions, noting that the Commission itself is a state institution.
He said the ministry is currently handling around 3,500 land-related case files involving hill-country communities, many of which could have significant implications for residents if acted upon.
“If these files are approved without careful consideration, it is our own people who will be affected. That is why action has not yet been taken on them,” he said.
Sundaralingam added that the government was also examining the possibility of granting long-term leasehold rights to residents occupying lands administered by the Land Reform Commission, recognising that the properties are state-owned and that secure tenure could provide a long-term solution to recurring land disputes.
-ENCL
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