July 19, Colombo (LNW): The government of Sri Lanka plans to formally designate areas occupied by plantation workers on state-owned lands as “plantation villages.”
This proposal, presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has received approval from the Cabinet of Ministers. The legal drafts department has been assigned the task of drafting legislation for this designation.
A discussion led by the President, attended by various stakeholders, underscored unanimous support for this timely proposal. Parliamentarian Mano Ganesan emphasized the importance of securing land rights for plantation dwellers, aligning with the President’s commitment to providing freehold land and housing rights to residents in villages, towns, and plantations.
The initiative is timely due to the pressing issue of illegal encroachments on estates managed by the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs).
These encroachments, often backed by local politicians, have led to a significant reduction in plantation lands since RPCs took over management in 1995.
Originally, 94,521 hectares were leased to 20 RPCs, but this has dwindled to less than 72,000 hectares over 28 years due to illegal encroachments, subleasing, and unauthorized sales.
Recent incidents of land grabbing have been particularly severe in the Nuwara Eliya District, where 21 tea estates are located. A superintendent of a leading company reported that a gang, with political backing, forcefully encroached on a 25-acre block of land.
Despite efforts by estate management to involve local authorities and the police, political influence has hindered resolution. Additionally, plantation workers have been reported to remove tea bushes to expand the lands allocated to them, further exacerbating the issue.
The law forbids encroachment on both private and public property, and lease agreements for RPC-managed lands prohibit transfer or sale without government approval. Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had previously proposed and gained cabinet approval to reclaim under-utilized estate lands for the government.
However, the implementation of this proposal faces challenges. Some estate lands have been cleared for crop cultivation, leading to further illegal grabs by politically backed groups. Additionally, unauthorized subleasing of these lands has occurred despite lease restrictions.
A notable incident involved a gang of around 200 individuals forcefully encroaching on 8.5 hectares at the Madampe estate in Rakwana. Legal action was taken, but the lack of decisive law enforcement against such encroachments has encouraged further illegal activities, especially prior to elections.
This situation poses a significant challenge to the management companies and threatens the productive, commercial, and protected state lands. The new legislative measures aim to address these issues and secure land rights for plantation workers.
