Glennie Street case terminated

Wasantha RAMANAYAKE

Only 21 families out of total of 330 families still remain at Glennie Street, Slave Island, the Attorney General submitted to the Supreme Court when the Fundamental Rights application filed by a group of illegal dwellers was taken before the Supreme Court, yesterday.

Senior State Counsel Parinda Ranasinghe on behalf of the Attorney General informed Court that 154 families had moved to the temporary shelters at Thotalanga , while 155 families obtained a total sum of Rs. 101,000 including one year’s rental of Rs. 96,000 plus a transport allowance of Rs. 5,000 provided to transport their belongings.

Theses groups would be able to find their own shelter until the apartments at Dematagoda are completed.

Counsel Upul Jayasuriya for the petitioners submitted that the families were now agreeable to the UDA terms that is either to take shelter at the temporary dwellings at Thotalanga or to take one year’s rental plus transport allowance of Rs. 101,000 and to find their own accommodation until the Dematagoda apartments are ready.

However, counsel submitted that most of the petitioners being Muslims would like to stay at their houses in Slave Island until the end of Ramazan festival .

President’s Counsel Faiz Musthapha for the petitioners assisting the Court submitted that this matter had been brought to the notice of the President. The court however, did not make any order on the issue.

The Court in view of the submissions terminated the proceedings on the basis that the parties would abide by the terms and the conditions of the UDA with regard to allocating houses at Dematagoda.

The Court also directed the Inspector General of Police to tender a report as to what action he had taken pursuant to a complaint by Attorney-at-Law Methsiri Paranavithana who complained of intimidation by the Police.

The IGP had failed to tender the report to the Court yesterday as per the court direction earlier.

The petitioners, some of the dwellers, stated that they had been living in these houses since 1960s paying all relevant taxes. The petitioners’ children were attending the nearby schools.

They stated that respondents issued eviction notices on July 10 stating security concerns asking them to vacate their houses before July 18 and started demolishing the houses on the same day without making proper arrangements to settle them.

They alleged that the respondents had acted in violation of Natural Justice without properly hearing them.

The petitioners stated that there are 359 households with more than 1,500 persons belonged to the three communities living in those houses. They cited the Defence Secretary, the UDA, REEL, its Chairman and several others as respondents.