No land will be given to foreign companies

Irangika Range, Sandasen Marasinghe and Disna Mudalige

Economic Development Deputy Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena told Parliament yesterday the Government has not taken a decision to hand over even an inch of land in the Moneragala district to any foreign company.

He made this observation in response to an adjournment motion moved by UNP MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara. He was answering on behalf of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Deputy Minister Abeywardena said, "MP Madduma Bandara has presented his proposal after receiving a misleading message. I clearly state to this House that the Government has no plan or is attempting to give country's land to any foreign country, company, individual or a group.

"We have never attempted to sell lands in Moneragala. There are a large number of people who reside in this area illegally. But we are not going to remove any family living in this area." He said the Moneragala district has the highest poverty percentage. The Government does not want to keep this district in this condition any further. Lands less than 500 acres in extent will be given to private companies for development. Those are strictly non productive lands.

These are abandoned lands in which nobody lives. These lands will be used for various cultivations and investments. If there are people living around these lands, they also will be absorbed into cultivation and investment so that these families can also earn an income.

The surveying is being done in identified lands to start approved projects in areas such as Moneragala.

Lands less than 500 acres are used in this project and no foreign company can apply for them. And only local companies are permitted.

The identified lands for this project will be released to the Land Commissioner and it is through him that these lands will be given to the institutions and people who have applied for the newspaper advertisement which we published.

These lands will be distributed only after considering many factors including the nature of investment and whether it is beneficial.

The licence for the investments will be issued only after that. These facts will also need to receive Cabinet approval. Therefore, no step is taken to give these lands to foreign countries. Our only hope is to develop the Moneragala district, which is identified as the poorest district in the country.

Ranjith Madduma Bandara moving the motion said, "It is revealed that steps have been taken to hand over 50,000 acres of land in the Moneragala district cultivated by farmers to a private company.

We heard special survey teams are conducting surveys in Athimale, Katiyagala, Okkampitiya and Gonagama Ara for this purpose.

According to the information we received the instructions have been given by Economic Development Ministry to conduct this survey to hand the land over to a foreign company.