The Hon. Aravinda Senarath - Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, I provide the following answers.

¶ 02 (a) (i) The extents of lands declared and vested under the Land Reform Act, No. 1 of 1972 are recorded at district level, not by Divisional Secretary’s Division. Accordingly, details of declared and vested lands in the Kalutara District are as follows: - High land: 33,243 acres 2 roods 28 perches - Paddy land: 243 acres 0 roods 21 perches

¶ 03 (ii) In the Kalutara District, within the 14 Divisional Secretary’s Divisions of Kalutara, Dodangoda, Mathugama, Bulathsinhala, Madurawala, Walallawita, Palindanuwara, Agalawatta, Horana, Ingiriya, Millaniya, Panadura, Bandaragama and Beruwala, the extents of LRC lands distributed to the public, deeds issued, and lands given on tax (permit) basis have been recorded division-wise. [Figures provided in the table and annexed in the original Sinhala are acknowledged here.]

¶ 04 (iii) For lands owned by the Land Reform Commission (LRC) that have not been re-acquired by the Government, there is a provision to issue deeds based on permits already issued.

¶ 05 (iv) Lands alienated by the LRC have, in some instances, been irregularly disposed of by subsequent conveyances, thereby excluding the general public. The institution has not thereafter conducted inquiries into such disposals.

¶ 06 (v) There is no legal procedure to re-acquire lands that have been lawfully alienated and are being used in line with the purposes of the Act.

¶ 07 (vi) Based on the land register prepared by the LRC and the base maps introduced by the Department of Survey using the ILAS software, a primary mapping exercise is underway. Once lands irregularly acquired are identified, details can be provided at Divisional Secretary’s Division level.

¶ 08 (b) Not applicable.