Colombo should revert Gazette notifications, return lands seized in Mannaar: DDC Meeting

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 November 2016, 23:20 GMT]
Monthly District Development Committee meeting, co-chaired by Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, SL Minister of Industry and Commerce Mr Rishad Bathiudeen, who is elected from Vanni electorate, four Tamil and Muslim Vanni District parliamentarians and four NPC Councillors, on Monday unanimously resolved to demand the Colombo regime to revert the Gazetted appropriations or takeovers of lands by its forest and wildlife departments in the recent years. While people remained uprooted from their native villages that have been subjected to military occupation, large tracts of residential and agricultural lands have become jungles. These lands have been systematically taken over by Colombo’s jungle and wildlife authorities. These lands should be released back to people, the meeting held at Mannaar Kachcheari has resolved.



Colombo should also put an end to the controversial colony being created at Kaayaa-kuzhi in Musali where Sinhala fishermen from South, the politicians resolved.

Colombo’s Director General of Department of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources (DFAR), which functions under the purview of the Fisheries Ministry, has recently instructed the Divisional Secretary of Musali Division in Mannaar district and the Assistant Director of Fisheries Department in Mannaar to put up a colony for fishermen from South at Kaayaa-kuzhi.

Further, the SL military running a restaurant business named ‘Rice Bowl’ near Giant’s Tank on Mannaar – Mathavaachchi Road should close down the operation and hand over the facility to civil authorities in Mannaar, the DDC meeting resolved. The restaurant run by genocidal military has been causing environmental and social problems.

Hundreds of hectares of lands have been seized by Colombo in the DS divisions of Musali, Madu and Naanaaddaan during the past 4 years.

These lands should be handed over back to people and necessary changes should be announced through Gazette notifications, the DDC meeting resolved assigning the task of identifying such lands to the divisional secretaries of the three divisions.



The official representing the Forest Department was defending the land grab.

However, the DDC meeting instructed the official to immediately suspend planting border stones in the disputed areas.

Several interest groups of Mannaar fishermen were pushing for immediate action to stop Sinhala colonisation at Kaayaa-kuzhi in Musali division. It was pointed out the move was completely new to Mannaar district. The practice was only temporary stay during seasonal fishing. There has never been a precedence of creation of a colony. The move will be disturbing the ethnic harmony in Mannaar, they pointed out.

The Assistant Director of Fisheries Department in Mannaar was absent. However, the meeting resolved to urge SL President Maithiripala Sirisena to suspend the controversial settlement.

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