HSZ land release:

Some got it and some didn't

by P. Krishnaswamy and V. Navaratnarajah

Owners who were living as displaced people were allowed access to their lands to identify the locations.

The Government's pledge to release 1000 acres of land in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Valikamam North, Jaffna to their rightful owners under the 100-day program, is now being fulfilled with the present release of 570 acres of lands in the area , with 430 acres already been released.

The owners who were living as displaced people were allowed access to their lands to identify the locations. Only around 60 percent of the lands have been identified so far, with the entire area grown with shrubs obliterating land boundaries and access roads, according to reports from Jaffna.

The lands that are now being released are situated in the Grama Niladhari Divisions of Kankesanthurai South (J 235), Palai Veemankamam North (J 236), Palai Veemankamam South (J 237), Kattuwan (J 238), Thenmayilai (J 240), Varuththalaivilan (J 241) , Thaiyathee South (J 25) and Palaly South ( J 252). Access were denied to some of the lands said to have been released in the two GN Divisions of Thayathee South and Varuththalaivilan and the people who went to see them returned in disappointment, according to some reports.

During the first phase release of 430 acres of lands on March 24, President Maithripala Sirisena distributed title deeds to the people together with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister D.M. Swaminathan, Tamil political leaders and senior Ministry officials.

Some of the people who had identified their lands and some who have been denied access to their lands are in the picture.