Department of Forest Conservation has stopped the people to occupy the 548 acres of agricultural and residential lands which the people were given at Jeyapuram area in Killinochchi in 1990 by claiming it as the lands belonging to the Department of Forest Conservation.
Meanwhile, affected owners of these lands filed a petition in this regard at the Human Rights Commission. Jeyapuram North Famers’ Association made this petition on behalf of the affected people. Accordingly, officials of the Land Department and the Department of Forest Conservation have been summoned by the Human Rights Commission yesterday for hearing.
While speaking to Media after the hearing, Arasappan Ramar, the president of Jeyapuram North Famers’ Association stated the following;
The people who were uprooted because of the anti-Tamil riot in 1983 were given 548 acres of lands at Jeyapuram area in 1990.
Though the agricultural activities were being taken place at these lands initially, that was not succeeded remarkably. Meanwhile, the people of this area were uprooted due to the continued war and they displaced to several other places including India.
When the people started cleaning the area after they got resettled in 2010, the people were not allowed by the occupying Sri Lankan military by stating that land mines are yet to be removed from there.
People had no financial strength when the people were given back these lands after clearing the land mines in 2017. In the meantime, people of this area informed about it to the Killinochhci parliamentarian Sritharan.
Subsequently, he handed over 2 million rupees to the Pooneryn Pradhesiya Secretariat by getting it through the Ministry of Resettlement. After this fund was handed over to Jeyapuram North Farmers’ Association, 70 acres of lands were cleared up by making use of this fund.
Meanwhile, the officers of Department of Forest Conservation who came there stopped the people to enter into these lands by claiming it as the lands belonging to the Department of Forest Conservation.
However, some of the rich people have been doing agricultural activities there with the consent of the Department of Forest Conservation. Constructive action is yet to be taken in this regard though this issue was already taken to the attention of the secretary of Pooneryn Pradeshiya Sabha.
Meanwhile, we have filed a petition in this regard at the Human Rights Commission.
