All land issues will be solved soon – Janaka

Ridma Dissanayake

The government will solve problems connected with land issues, Land and Land Development Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said.

The minister said the government had identified that problems connected with land had been a critical problem and a barrier to uplift the livelihoods of the civil society of the Northern and Eastern provinces after the end of the terrorism.

Minister Tennakoon was addressing the opening ceremonies of two land and land development District Offices in Kilinochchi and Jaffna districts.

The offices were opened to regularise the programme implemented by the Land and Land Development Ministry along with the Land Commissioner General’s Department to resolve around 250 land disputes in the Northern Province.

The minister handover lands to original owners and appointment letters to 25 Tamil medium graduates attached to the newly opened district offices in Jaffna and Kilinochchi.

He said former Northern Provincial Council Secretary Shiwasami was appointed the Competent Authority for these offices to ensure the proper implementation of the responsibilities entrusted with the Land and Land Development in implementing the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

A new programme has been launched on the approval of the Cabinet Ministers taking in to account the recommendations of LLRC, and guidelines have been issued for this programme by Circular No 2013/01 issued by the Land Commissioner General, the minister said.

He said the total area of Jaffna District is 125,000 hectares of which 90 percent is owned by the private sector and action would be taken to hand over lands acquired for the establishment of Army camps, to original owners of those lands on a priority basis.

Land and Land Development Deputy Minister Siripala Gamlath was also present at this event.