2ND LEAD

Ramanathan Trust endows land to Upcountry Tamil tenets in Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 2010, 17:39 GMT]
In a significant move Friday, the president of Sir. P. Ramananthan Trust, former senior professor S.K. Sitrampalam, donated the lands of the Trust in Ki'linochchi to 60 families of Upcountry Tamils who were long-term tenets of those lands. The families uprooted in the recent war were unable to claim housing aid supposed to come through an Indian aid programme in the absence of ownership-documents of the lands, which they were inhabiting for a long time. The Ramanathan Trust was owning 330 acres of productive farmland in Ki'linochchi, which was settled by the Upcountry Tamils for several decades.

Dr. Sitrampalam, a key leader of Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK), visited Ki'linochchi to distribute the land deeds.

Meanwhile, the team led by Dr. Sitrampalam also re-opened the Ramanathan Pre-School in the locality, which was defunct for more than 10 years. UNP parliamentarian Mr. M. Swaminathan allocated the funds necessary for its renovation. TNA MP for Ki'linochchi Mr. Sreetharan also took part in the event.

The lands were owned by Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan, who in 1879, was the first elected Eezham Tamil in the legislative council of Ceylon. He also was the first elected member of the Educated Ceylonese Constituency. He led Eezham Tamil politics until his demise in 1930.