Pongal with protests in Vavuniya as decades-long land deed delays continue

Tamil families from 13 villages in Vavuniya have voiced their frustration over a three-decade delay in receiving their land deeds, as they celebrated Thai Pongal with protests highlighting long-standing issues of displacement  last week.

On January 19, residents from these villages gathered at a pre-school in Urmila Kottam, Vavuniya, to celebrate Pongal where they expressed their discontent through various placards.

The aggrieved villagers pointed out that in 1994, 385 families that were displaced by the armed conflict were resettled in 13 villages with the assistance of government-affiliated institutions. However, despite 30 years of residence, these families have yet to receive essential land documents.

One of the primary consequences of this delay is the inability of residents to construct proper sanitation facilities within their housing schemes. The lack of official land deeds has hindered the development of necessary infrastructure, including roads, leading to significant inconveniences and severe underdevelopment in these villages.

The affected families, residing in Kaththaankottam, Oormilakottam, Raamayankal, Piramanalankulam, Nelukulam, Ampikaibalankottam, Thachchankulam, Aruvithottam, Eesankudiyirpipu, Puthiyavelar Sinnakulam, Thaskottam, Segarkottam, and Kuganagar, have collectively raised their voices against the prolonged delay in securing land deeds.

This issue not only affects the residents' daily lives but also contributes to the overall underdevelopment of the villages involved.

The villagers' collective demand underscores the persisting longstanding land issues in the North-East, where tens of thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers continue to occupy vast swathes of land.