NAFSO Conducted campaign demanding solutions for land grabbing
issues around the country.
Submission of copies of a petition signed by more than 11,000
people was carried out in 14 districts around the country. The Original petition was submitted to the Land minister Mr Gayantha Karunathilaka in 28/8/19.
The minister accepted the petition along with with the summary report prepared on selected major land grabbing issues in several areas of the country with a promise to look in the issues and demands made by the people.
DEMANDS OF THE AFFECTED PEOPLE
1.
Ensure community participation in planning and decision-making processes,
respect their needs and aspirations in development planning
- Ensure free, prior and informed consent of people before any land acquisition
- Develop plans to minimize the relocation of communities, in unavoidable circumstances ensure their livelihoods and social and cultural fabrics are not being damaged
- Prioritize the development plans by capitalizing local resources and the potentials of communities.
- Not to acquire land from environmental sensitive zones for any development projects.
- Ensure free, prior and informed consent of people before any land acquisition
- Develop plans to minimize the relocation of communities, in unavoidable circumstances ensure their livelihoods and social and cultural fabrics are not being damaged
- Prioritize the development plans by capitalizing local resources and the potentials of communities.
- Not to acquire land from environmental sensitive zones for any development projects.
2.
Release all lands and allow families to return to their homes without
restriction
- Remove any military base or remnant of military presence from the area which their presences are not really needed.
- Remove any military base or remnant of military presence from the area which their presences are not really needed.
3. Grant clear title to farmers and fisheries to
their land and property on which they had been living over several generations
live. The already begun process of issuing deeds to be made more efficient and
effective.
4. For proportionate compensation to be paid to
those whose houses and Lands which were dispossessed during the Conflict
period. Identify the bottlenecks and deviations in this process of paying
compensation to be made more methodical and transparent while assuring the
deserving affected parties receive the government-sanctioned amounts.
5. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the
internally displaced people, including people living in IDP camps, living with
relatives and in rented houses in the North.
6. Develop and initiate a comprehensive resettlement
process with the participation of displaced communities especially in North and
East.
7. Land acquired for the purpose of common benefits
should not be transferred to any business ventures or private entrepreneurs
