Minister suspends decision to bring down Indian surveyors

Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has decided to suspend the decision to bring down surveyors from India, following a pledge given by the Surveyor General's Department.

Surveyor General S M W Fernando promised Minister de Silva that local surveyors could complete the surveying of all Mahaweli land within one year.

The pledge was given at a meeting between the minister and Surveyor General's Department officials on Thursday.

Land in 24,734 hectares in nine Mahaweli regions will have to be surveyed. This comprises 62,231 lands.

Fernando informed Minister de Silva that they will start work next week. Twenty surveyors from the Department and 1,100 private surveyors will be deployed for the task. A new batch of surveyors who will be passing out from the Diyatalawa Training School will join them later. Minister de Silva said he has full confidence in the Surveyor General's Department and promised to provide assistance from his ministry to complete the task successfully.

He said the ministry has allocated Rs 40 million for this task. Ministry Secretary Ivan Silva and Mahaweli Authority Director General Gamini Rajakaruna also attended the meeting.