News
Politically motivated land grab at Rakwana
State land managed by the Plantation Company has been encroached by squatters
A group of villages from the Rakwana area in the Ratnapura District continue to forcibly occupy a State land extending over 20 acres despite a plantation company trying to evict them from the land which was ready for the replantation of rubber.
The squatters, backed by politicians, have demarcated the lands on their own by putting up posts and drawing strings.
The estate known as Madampe Estate, with tea and rubber plantations and managed by Hapugastenne Plantations, was first encroached on December 6 with some 200 villagers, as well as a few estate workers.
The management had taken steps to inform the Police immediately, but was told that they did not have the strength to evict the persons.
The following day the Officer-in-Charge of the Rakwana Police visited the scene and reported the matter to the Circuit Courts in Rakwana, and thereafter arrested 102 squatters. The suspects were released on a surety bail.
Though some of those arrested had left the land, several others are continuing to remain, forcibly occupying the land.
Thirty-one estate workers forcibly occupying the land have been interdicted.
Estate Manager Austin Bartholomeusz told the Sunday Times that the Police, Rakwana Divisional Secretary, the Gramasevaka for the Horamulla area, have been informed about the encroachment.
He said, however, that the people continued to remain on the land with the authorities failing to get them out of the area so far. Some of them have reportedly prepared forged deeds with the help of local officials, thereby complicating the problem.
Assistant Director, Land Reforms Commission in Embilipitiya, Ranjan Weerasinghe said he would be sending an officer to look into the matter.
Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Ratnapura range J S Weerasekara said he had taken over the range last week and that he would contact the Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the division to check about the encroachment.
Meanwhile, the Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA) said it strongly condemned a recent incident of forceful and illegal encroachments of estates managed by the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs), and called on the Government and law enforcement officials to uphold the rule of law in RPC estates.
The PA strongly believes this criminal act to be politically-motivated, particularly given the brazen behaviour of the individuals concerned and lack of fear of potential consequences. “According to claims made to RPC representatives and Police on the ground by the encroachers – who do not appear to be area residents – the decision to encroach on this particular property had been sanctioned and encouraged by a prominent Member of Parliament from the area,”the PA said.
“We urge the Government to uphold the rule of law in the estates in order to avoid setting an extremely dangerous precedent,” a spokesperson for Hapugastenne Plantations said.
“It is most unfortunate that the RPCs are facing the risk of violence, while attempting to safeguard fertile land owned by the Government and by extension the country’s citizens, from politically-instigated criminal gangs. The RPCs are only the custodians of these State-owned valuable assets, but have incurred significant investments on obtaining these lands for cultivation via long-term leases. A failure to act on this issue will result in an erosion of property rights, and encourage further encroachments of productive, commercial, and protected State lands. As a Government that was elected on the promise of upholding the law, we demand that immediate and decisive action is taken to prevent what amounts to theft of public assets in broad daylight,” the PA said in the statement.
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