Over 200,000 plantation families earmarked to own land

Wednesday, 14 December 2016 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government has decided to provide freehold and bankable land of seven perches each for legal residents of plantation companies, which amounts to an estimated 232,556 families.

Accordingly, the Cabinet last week approved a proposal to release identified lands from plantation companies and other public institutions to be awarded to eligible residents. Currently 256,533 families live in estates managed by Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) while another 9,025 families reside in State-owned estates. However, only 33,000 houses have been constructed so far under various schemes to improve living conditions of the estate community.

The majority of the community still lives in estate-owned line rooms or small temporary houses.

The joint Cabinet proposal aligned with the Government’s policy of providing ownership to the public was made by Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development Minister U. Palani Thigambaram, Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake and Land Minister John Amaratunga.