An impetus to food drive

An idea mooted by the Ministry to Agriculture to put all fertile land lying idle into productive use could be considered as a long overdue measure in a country such as Sri Lanka where the practise of agriculture is gradually losing its impetus.

As rightly pointed out by Minister Maithripala Sirisena it is a crime to keep valuable land idling while the country runs a massive bill on food imports.

Even in highly industrialised countries such as Japan, agriculture is given pride of place and new methods have been evolved to increase agriculture production.

According to the programme envisaged by the Ministry owners of fertile land that are lying idle would be asked if they are prepared to turn in their lands for profitable agricultural use or in the alternative lend them temporarily to those interested in cultivating essential agricultural crops.

It has also been pointed out there are vast tracts of fertile land in the Western, Southern and Sabaragamuwa provinces lying neglected which could be used for profitable purposes by bringing them under the plough.

It is unfathomable that Sri Lanka which lays claim to a rich agricultural heritage should allow fertile land go unutilised in this fashion. History records how our Sinhala kings made use of every inch of land in the country for cultivation when the country was known as the Granary of the East.

It is sad to see how vast tracts of the country’s fertile land are being swallowed up for so called development purposes.

At the rate lands are being filled presently, very soon we may see asphalt jungles in the hitherto unspoilt jungles in the countryside that would threaten human habitation. Already some major cities are bursting at the seams and there will be a demand for more and more land.

The plight that has befallen our coconut plantations with parcelling of coconut land by property developers is a typical example of agricultural land dwindling under the juggernaut of enterprise.

At least now the Government should seriously consider introducing legislation to bring all such land under productive use by offering incentives to their owners. This the Government should do speedily lest the country is denuded of what was once a lush verdant landscape.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who has launched a national food drive should focus attention on the problem of this gradual erosion of the country’s land space and appoint a Task Force to deal with the problem.

It is a matter of utmost urgency.

Nab these killers

The gunning down of the Officer-in-charge of the Harbour police last Friday is bound to send ripples among the public and is another example of the reigning gun culture in our midst which should engage the serious attention of the authorities.

More than the crime itself what is mind boggling is the audacity of the act in silencing no less a person than the OIC of a police station in full view of the public.

This is another example of a rapid progress to a state of crime being institutionalised in a society which has today become virtually anaesthetised to violence and bloodletting in our midst.

No effort should be spared by the police to get at the assassin lest the others of his ilk may get emboldened to emulate such deeds. Today police personnel are increasingly becoming targets of criminal gangs and in a way placed in a dilemma of having to engage in crime busting while also being vigilant about LTTE operations.

Not long ago another high ranking police officer was shot dead while trying to apprehend a suspect. Today being a policeman unlike in the past in a high risk occupation with threats emanating on several flanks.

True, it is their line of duty to rise to the occasion whatever the challenge. Significantly this also has more or less distracted from their primary role of being guardians of the law and essentially a tool for combating local crime.

It is therefore opportune if the Defence authorities devise measures to combat the threat against policemen who are not as fully armed as the Forces and therefore more at risk from attacks be they from the LTTE or common criminals.

Policemen should not be overly be exposed towards such attacks and steps should be taken to redefine their role purely as crime busters as against a unit set up to combat terrorism. The Police in fact does have a separate, fully trained unit - the STF - that engages in this role.

Over the years with the escalation of the conflict this line seems to have got blurred which also given a wrong concept of the Police to the public.

Friday’s incident also exposes the vulnerability of Policemen to random attacks and in today’s highly volatile security climate they should be afforded all incentives and protection so that they could embark on their mission with confidence.