An attempt to acquire 500 acres of land that had been handed to its rightful owners in Jaffna's Valikamam North has been exposed by locals who are questioning the Sri Lankan government’s intention for re-surveying the land.
Residents told the Tamil Guardian that officials from the Survey Department of Sri Lanka along with gramasevaka had visited the area around Valikamam North and surveyed a new parcel of land in the presence of the locals.
“These are residents who after undergoing many hardships are now farming on their lands to make ends meet, we ask then why are there officials coming to survey the land and ask for our signatures,” asked one of the residents. “We were right there, in our homes when we observed that they were surveying the land around the same area. We cannot accept nor allow them to take back these lands.”
The residents of the area believe that the request may have been made by the Civil Aviation Authority to take back these lands and those presently occupied by the Sri Lanka army. He claims they have been told it would be for the development of an international airport.
The areas that have been surveyed include Kurumbasiddy, Vasavilan, Kadduvan, Kadduvan West, Kuplan which had already been handed back to people. “The people are very confused, they were asked to give their permission which they refused to do until higher authorities explain the purpose behind these activities,” he said. “We had to fight hard to even get back the lands we rightfully deserve, our of 6000 acres, we have been given 3000 based on the assurance by President Ranil Wickremasinghe. It is out of this 3000 which has been given to us that they are trying to take nearly 500 acres.”
During the North Thellippalai Regional Development Coordinating, people questioned Miniter Douglas Devananda, regarding these activities to which he said he would inquire about them. “The people are dead against such unlawful land grab,” said the resident. “We vehemently oppose any such secret activity and would like to draw the attention of the international community to this issue.”
