Going back home

Over 800 families to be resettled by April end

by P. Krishnaswamy

Over 800 families will be resettled in their places of origin, following the release of 1000 acres of land situated witin the High Security Zone(HSZ) in the North.

President Maithripala Sirisena hands over the land title to a family member who was displaced from the Jaffna High Security Zone.

The remaining 5000 acreas are also to be released, paving the way for return and resettlement of internally displaced persons.

According to Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister, D.M.Swaminathan, the release of lands in HSZs to facilitate the return of persons is a key promise of the the National Unity Government.

The first batch of 800 families will be resettled witin the 100-Day Program,†he said.

However, due to small areas still not been completely demined and declared as being safe for resettlement, there are likely to be pockets where land clearence is not immeidately possible.

The lands are being released only after the government obtains clearance certificates from the mine clearing authorities. The land distribution process has been slightly delayed, due to this, though it is to be completed by the end of April, Swaminathan said.

Already, 282 families have recieved their land titles for resettlement. The families have also been provided with a total of Rs.13,000, meant for food purchases (Rs. 5000), tool kits (Rs.3000) and land clearance (Rs. 5000), Swaminathan said. Up to now, a total of Rs.5,300,000 has been released to the Jaffna District Secretariat, for this purpose.

The lands are to be released within the first 100 days of the new government, in Vasavilan East and Palaly South in the Tellipalai Divisional Secretary (DS) area and Valalai in the Koppai Divisional Secretariat area, Minister Swaminathan said.

The delay in releasing the HZS lands to the owners was also brought to the notice of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Jaffna Divisional Secretariat Friday(27), who was on a three-day visit to the Northern peninsula.

Jaffna Government Agent, N.Vedanayagan, said the Prime Minister has assured the process of releasing lands will be further expedited in a bid to faciliate resettlement.

Premier Wickremesinghe distributed cheques among 120 families as payment of compensation, due to the conflict. ilies resettling in their lands in the HSZ will also receive a relief assistance of Rs.25,000 under the 'Reintegration and Shelter Program' of the UN agencies which would come into implementation in the near future, according to Additional Secretary to the Resettlement, Reconstruction and Hindu Religious Affairs Ministry M.M.Nayeemudeen.

A family is eligible for temporary shelter worth Rs.75,000 â€" Rs.100,000. The National De-mining Committee, earlier under the purview of the Economic Development Ministry, is now placed under the Resettlement and Reconstruction Ministry.

The head office of the National Demining Committee now located in Kilinochchi and the demining activities are carried out by the Sri Lanka Army, the Halo Trust and other agencies.