Tamil farmers' lands remain occupied in Ampaa'rai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 26 May 2012, 23:18 GMT]
Tamil farmers, whose paddy fields have been illegaly encroached 38 years ago in Ampaa'rai district's Chammaan-thu'rai, complain that they have not been provided their lands even after the war ended in May 2009.

Earlier, the Tamil people used the lands as fertile paddy fields and high lands on their own initiative, even before the advent of Kalloaya scheme of the Mahaweli development.

Later, after 1957, the Gal Oya Development Board and Ampaa'rai Assistant Government Agent office granted ownership permits to such lands.

These high lands are now mostly grabbed by Sinhalese and Muslims.

About 171 acres of 57 lots in Pazha-ve'li-mason in Umarik-kan'dam in Malvaththai, situated in Chammaanthu'rai DS division, have not been returned.

More lands that belong to 61 persons in the same DS division at Malaiyadi-veddai, Puthuk-kaaddu-veddai and Thoddaa-churungki-veddai and lands that belong to 40 persons in Varampu-va'laintha-veddai, Va'laththap-piddi, have not been returned.