• Leaseholders informed to pay due taxes 

The Department of Railways stated that new officers have been deployed to take action against unauthorised constructions on lands belonging to the department.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Railways General Manager Dhammika Jayasundara said that this issue had been ongoing for decades, and that the department had not been able to properly address the issue due to limitations such as staff shortages. 

“We've now started taking appropriate action to address this issue. Officers have been assigned to each division to manage the related work more efficiently,” he said.

In addition, he said that there were about 8,000 files related to land leases, and that so far, around 4,000 of them have been reviewed. “Those leaseholders have now been informed to pay their due taxes. If they don't make proper payments, action will also be taken against them,” he said.

At present, many railway lands have been illegally occupied, and several lease agreements have not been updated in years. The relevant parties, including trade unions within the department have pointed out that if these issues are addressed and the land is leased out in a more organised and transparent manner, it could significantly boost the department’s revenue.

Occupying the lands/buildings owned by the department without a formal lease agreement is an offence punishable under the Land Development Ordinance. All railway land occupants and new applicants have been informed to register online, and those who fail to do so are being dealt with under the State Lands (Recovery of Possession) Act, No. 07 of 1979.