Fallow lands to come under the plough

by Mohammed NAALIR

Deputy Economic Development Minister Muthu Sivalingam said that the moves are under way to grant subsidy assistance to the estate sector youth who are willing to re-cultivate the abandoned estate lands.He said that this was a rare opportunity for estate youth offered by the Government and they must get used to promote their living standards. They should not lose this rare opportunity.

According to the Deputy Minister, it has been revealed that there are nearly 65,000 hectares of abandoned land in the estate areas in the central hill country. The Deputy Minister Sivalingam expressed gratitude to Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa for speaking on behalf of estate youth in the Parliament to distribute the barren lands in the central hill country among them for cultivation activities.

The Deputy Minister also said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has given a six months deadline to estate management companies to resume re-cultivation in these lands. In case they fail to resume re-cultivation activities those lands will be confiscated and distributed among the small tea estate owners.He said that certain estate companies have resumed re-cultivation following the warning of the President.

The estate youth have obtained perfect training from their parents and the government is ready to provide needed help to the estate sector youth, the Deputy Minister Sivalingam added.