Land Commission to look into N-E settlement issues

The fourth Land Commission to recommend policy to address existing issues over the settlement of people in the North and the East will be appointed by the Ministry of Lands shortly.

The National Action Plan prepared to implement the LLRC recommendations has directed the Ministry concerned to take action in this regard.

Special Land Commissions had been appointed in Sri Lanka in 1927, 1936 and 1985. The fourth Land Commission will be governed by the same Terms of Reference as the previous ones. A directive has also been issued to ensure effective implementation of the ‘policy on land use’ to identify appropriate State land for settlement.

The Ministry of Lands has been asked to conduct a study to ascertain whether practices infringe on legal rights to acquire land.

The Action Plan has proposed the above steps, upholding the recommendation of the LLRC that ‘Any citizen of Sri Lanka has the right to acquire land in any part of the country, in accordance with its laws and regulations, and reside in any area of his choice without any restrictions or limitations.’

MF