Deception at Dostharawatta

By Hiran Priyankara and Nalaka Nonis

Nearly 80 acres of land alleged to have been purchased by a teak plantation company for less than Rs. 500 per perch in the Puttalam District has been re-acquired by the State as it was found to be State land.

The Anamaduwa Divisional Secretary took this action after villagers forcibly entered the plantation and uprooted the young teak plants.

The disputed land. Pix by Hiran Priyankara

The company, Help Green, based in Battaramulla claimed it was ignorant that the deeds for the land were invalid and eventually agreed to withdraw its claim to the land for which Rs. 5.4 million had been paid.

The company had acquired the 78-acre block of land in Divulwewa Grama Niladhari division in the Anamaduwa Divisional Secretariat area and carried out teak planting there despite objections from villagers in the area. Help Green had purchased this land named ‘Dostharawatte’ from three persons early last year.

However the villagers had protested against the sale claiming that the land belonged to the State and they had been cultivating it for a long time after paying taxes to the Government.

This dispute led to the Anamaduwa Divisional Secretary going to court which ruled the disputed land was a part of State property. According to villagers a group of people claiming to be from the particular company had taken over the land in April last year and threatened villagers not to trespass on the property saying it belonged to their employer who had bought the land long ago.

However, Help Green chairman A.R. Dissanayake denied the allegation that he had encroached on State property and that his employees threatened the villagers.

He said he bought the land early last year from three people after getting clearance for the deed from his lawyers and also from the Puttalam district Land Registrar and that he was ignorant the land belonged to the State which fact was revealed in court after Survey Department records were scrutinised.