The Land Ministry is yet to respond to concerns raised by the Divisional Secretaries (DSs) and Assistant DSs Association, which has requested the introduction of a formal mechanism to ensure that land-related matters are handled without political interference, the Association’s President R. Senthil said.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (26), he said the Association had written to the Ministry Secretary seeking clear procedures for DSs when dealing with land issues forwarded through political authorities. “We are yet to receive a response from the Ministry. There should be a mechanism in place. Land-related matters are not simple to handle, so, there must be clear frameworks. We hope that the Ministry will respond to us positively soon,” he said.

Attempts by The Daily Morning to obtain a response from the Deputy Land Minister were unsuccessful.

The Association raised concerns recently after several letters relating to land administration were sent directly to DSs by N.T. Rukmal Jayaweera, who is said to be serving as the Private Secretary to the Deputy Land Minister Aravinda Senarath, using the Ministry’s letterhead.

When contacted on an earlier occasion, Senthil said that when Ministers or Deputy Ministers receive public requests and require reports or observations, such communications should reach DSs through recognised administrative channels within the Ministry. He noted that requests should be forwarded through officials formally authorised by the Ministry Secretary, such as an Additional Secretary or a Senior Assistant Secretary, instead of being sent directly through political offices. He added that when letters appear to favour a particular party involved in a land dispute, DSs face difficulties making impartial and transparent decisions. Hence, in its communication to the Ministry Secretary, the Association called for a clear institutional process allowing land matters received by political authorities to be referred to DSs without affecting their administrative independence.