The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Minister. I too heard arrests have been made. I will send you this letter.

¶ 02 Also, during the Mahaweli “C” project era, timber came from Wellawaya side. Now they cut estate trees and destroy the estates to get timber for firewood. They seek profit from trees and from tea, while not applying fertilizer or maintaining drains, terracing, or weeding. Since companies took over, maintenance stopped. Now they use herbicides monthly and just pluck, leading to decline.

¶ 03 Youth no longer want estate work. A division that had 500 workers now has only 50–60. In Ella side, almost none, as people have moved to tourism. Only in Madolsima, Lunugala, Nuwara Eliya sides do people still come, because they have no other livelihood.

¶ 04 They have unions—Thondaman’s and also mine, the Sri Lanka Labour People’s Union. Field realities: on Sinhala New Year and election days you can see dozens of buses returning as most Badulla labourers work in Colombo, often for Rs. 60,000–70,000 per month with board provided—better than Rs. 1,350 in estates. This internal migration is common worldwide too. So, let us not be complacent.

¶ 05 Hon. Minister, talk is not enough; show the bucket, not just the whistle. The next election will be dangerous for you if delivery is not seen. Now 290,000 people in our Province watch only you to deliver, as others are out or in Opposition. I wish you strength to run this Ministry. Had the President also given you the Lands Ministry, it would have been better; you have not been sufficiently empowered.

¶ 06 Thank you for the time.