The people of hill country plantations. Face a variety of fundamental problems. In the meantime, as for as the Kandy District too is concerned too, there are many important problems, both, some of them namely: land, land Issues, housing and residential areas, employment, and livelihood, statutory dues (EPF, ETF and gratuity) deserve to be considered of priority. It is noteworthy that many of the plantations in the Kandy District are managed by JEDB and SLSPC.
Avast majority of privately owned
plantations were nationalized in two stages in 1972 under Land Reform Law (1). The
first stage absorbed the Rupee Company Plantations and the second stage, the
sterling company plantations. Some plantations were identified as non-viable by
the government. The government vested the sterling company plantations in the
JEDB and SLSPC for management. Although these agencies which managed such
plantation until 1990s had taken the responsibility of the worker housing and
social welfare, they limited their activities to repair, renovations and
whitewashing of lines with the funds allocated.
Contrary to the workers’ expectations
that nationalization world benefit them, they were forced out of lines. The
government, by Gazette No 186/60 (3) of 1975 gad empowered the Land Reform
commissioner to eject worker from such estates, using Emergency regulations, in
order to maintain law and order and general peace. These provisions were used
to drive out worker en masse under the cover of distributing land to landless.
The united National Party which formed
the government in 1977, announced some more plantations as non-viable and
handed over such plantations to NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL DIVERSIFICATION AND
SETTLEMENT AUTHORITY (NADSA) which it’s formed, under a crop Diversifications
and Land Distribution scheme. 20,000 acres came to be alienated thus. Land on
any plantations were made in to blocks and handed over to adjacent villagers
and important political supporters. This orphaned worker and their communities
some districts including Kandy and others made landless and homeless. Which
this situation continues to date, according to statics, of 12439 hectares of
plantation land approximately 40 to 50% are un-used. Many of these estates, in
the last few years, have been given out to outsides and foreigners.
Neither the workers nor the unions
representing them have been told or made aware of it. The management on
enquires by workers, have told that decisions were taken by higher ups in
Colombo and matters were beyond their control. Outsides, taking over the land,
do so under police protection. it shows that under the political situation
then, that the government on the one land had made if a practice to terrorize
the workers, and on the other, shirked accountability and transparency in its
dealings. However, the hill country plantation community has lost livelihood
and been rendered destitute.
In the meantime individuals with
political patronage have grabbed plantation land. But the denial of land and
housing rights to plantation workers who sacrificed themselves not only to the
plantation sector, but on the whole, for the country’s development remains a
major problem.
Recently in the avalanche of
Meeriyabedde in the koslanda area of Badulle District a whole village went
underground. In the meantime due to Earth Slip disaster, upper Gonava Division
Loolcondera in the Hanguranketta Divisional secretariat area and some
plantation in the Hewaheta area continue to suffer. With this as the background
HDO and WSU started a campaign title “No Land No Life” Campaign.
The affected
people made representations the HDO and WSU. WSU which went in to the matter,
made a formal complaint to the Human Rights Commission, Kandy.
On the basis
of this complaint the preliminary inquiry was held at the Human Rights
Commission Colombo on 13.1.2015. WSU National Organizer Mr. R. Nadarasa and
Industrial relations Officer Mr. S. Jeyapal represented the workers. While an
Officer of the Haguranketha AGA office represented. In a situation arising from
the non-participation of the management the Human Rights Commissioner notified
the management to be present to inquiry on 19/01/2015.
The second
inquiry was held on 05.02.2015 al Human Rights Commission Office Colombo. At
this inquiry, Nuwara Eliya MPRO Building Research Officer was represented, AGA
Nuwara Eliya was present. Assistant Superintendent, Grama Niladhari, WSU
Officers and the affected workers were present.
The Human
Rights Commissioner obscured that since it was the duly and the responsibility
of the officers concerned to grant relives to the affected people, they should
distribute suitable land to the affected people. It is noteworthy the Human
Rights Commissioner that informed the matter to the ministry of housing. It is
also noteworthy that the building research Center has informed that it will
identify the suitable land and report it to the officers concerned.
The Campaign
demand
Legalization of the plantation workers land and housing rights and
distribute the 70000 hectares are unused estate land to the workers at 20
perches per family for housing and 20 acres for agriculture and livelihood
purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment