Court orders Colombo to expedite resettlement in Jaffna HSZ

[TamilNet, Monday, 05 May 2008, 17:54 GMT]
The Supreme Court Monday directed the Defense Secretary to expedite the resettlement of the first group of identified displaced farmers in their agricultural lands located in the high security zone (HSZ) in Jaffna district to start their cultivation in time. The SC issued the directive when the fundamental rights applications filed by Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Maavai Senathiraja and two farmers. All three petitioners are among the displaced persons from the high security zone, legal sources said.

Consequent to the earlier direction by the Supreme Court, applications were sought from the displaced farmers and a panel of officials led by the Jaffna District Government Agent selected 454 IDPs to do their cultivation. On another date the Supreme Court directed that a board comprising three representatives- one from the Defense Ministry, one nominated by the Jaffna Government Agent and one by the Jaffna High Court Judge- should go into the selection of IDPs before being allowed them to cultivate, legal sources said.

When the FR applications came up for further inquiry Monday, the counsel for the petitioners submitted to court the delay in allowing the selected IDPs to start cultivating their agricultural lands in time. The petitioners have sought the court intervention and to order the resettlement of IDPs in their lands located in HSZ in the district, legal sources said.

Hence the Supreme Court directed the Defense Secretary to expedite the resettlement without further delay, legal sources said.