- Report on plantation-sector damage due today
- Estate quarters reopened for displaced families
In the wake of concerns over the impact of post-cyclone land policies, the Ministry of Plantation Industries has clarified the Government's plan to acquire lands above 5,000 metres (m) will not affect tea cultivation.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, Surangalingam Pradeep said the Government plans to purchase land from other areas to resettle individuals whose houses are in high-risk locations. "It is the people whose houses are located in the risky areas that we will be relocating to suitable and safe locations. That won’t be an issue for the tea cultivations," he said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka declared in Parliament on 5 December that lands above 5,000 m would be taken over by the Government after compensating the owners, followed by a plan to relocate the people living on them to safe areas. This declaration raised a question about what will happen to the cultivated areas that contribute to the country's economy.
The Deputy Minister also addressed the impact of the recent floods and landslides, confirming that a detailed report on the damage to the tea plantation sector is being finalised and would be issued soon. He added there is a significant absence of plantation workers in the immediate aftermath of the disasters but noted that in areas not directly affected, workers have begun returning to work.
Regarding immediate relief efforts, the Ministry is prioritising shelter for displaced communities, particularly from the Malayaha (hill country Tamil) community. Pradeep explained that due to the typically small size of their housing, community members have limited capacity to host displaced friends and relatives privately.
"As an immediate action, we are reopening the closed quarters that are situated in the estates and cleaning the quarters of the plantations to settle them temporarily there until long-term actions are taken," the Deputy Minister said.