Uva Wellassa farmers seek HRCSL assistance over land grab

COLOMBO (News 1st); Uva Wellassa farmers on Saturday (05) handed over a petition to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka requesting assistance to protect the human rights of the people affected by the transfer of 65,000 acres of land in Uva Wellassa to several multinational corporations.

65,000 acres of land in the Dehigama area in the Rideemaliyadda Divisional Secretariat Division are to be handed over to Gazelle Ventures of Singapore for a sugar production project.

This land which belongs to the historical Uva plain has several major reserve forests such as the Nilgala Medicinal Forest, Maduruoya Reserve Forest and the Senanayake Samudraya Reserve Forest located.

Environmentalists point out that the catchment areas of Gala Oya, Madura Oya, Ulhitiya Oya and Hapola Oya are also located in the relevant 65,000 acres.

The present day dependents of these lands are indigenous communities of Dambana, Pollebedda and Ratugala.

Ven. Dodangolla Soratha Thero, the Chief Patron of the Uva Wellassa Human Rights Protection Front requested the Government to not to sacrifice the public, and to immediately withdraw the Uva Wellassa land grab.