Alleges involvement of monk, minister, and Divisional Secretariat
By Dinitha RathnayakeDespite clear evidence being reported of land grabbing and deforestation taking place at the ancient Nakolagane Rajamaha Viharaya in Atharagalla in the Kurunegala District of the North Western Province, the issue still remains unsolved, The Morning learns.Speaking to The Morning, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) claimed that instances of land grabbing were reported in several areas in the vicinity of the temple.“The Chief Incumbent of the Nakolagane Purana Raja Maha Viharaya Ven. Walathwewa Sri Rahula Thera, as well as a prominent Minister of the current Government and the Ehetuwewa Divisional Secretariat, colluded to conduct land-grabbing operations in several areas. This was revealed by the residents of the area,” he charged.A field investigation into the case revealed that in around 1948, D.S. Senakanayake started the Mee Oya project or Ambarakola Wewa, which was developed under the Atharagalla movement, which started granting lands to farmers in 1953 under the Atharagalla Wewa and Palukadawala Wewa, and established farming communities in the Nakolagane, Ariyawa, Veheragodayaya, Yakdessawa, and Vanakolaniya areas.Land was acquired to establish these farming colonies and the last compensation was paid in 1968. Nindagam lands belonging to the ancient Raja Maha Viharaya in Nakolagane were taken over by the Atharagalla business community, for which compensation was paid and 45 acres of paddy lands were given to them.Chamikara charged that lands are being handed over on a large scale to businessmen in Negombo and Gampaha, forcibly evicting the farming community from the said lands that have been cultivated for generations, claiming to be Nindagam lands belonging to the Nakolagane Raja Maha Viharaya.“According to information received from the public, the Minister has been given a large plot of land to cultivate sandalwood and a road is being constructed to access the land at the Government’s expense,” he claimed.He further charged that the Chief Incumbent has leased the land belonging to the ancient Raja Maha Vihara to a company to cultivate mangoes, and that it was observed that the upper part of the Palukadawala Tank, which is the main habitat of the elephants in the area, has been completely handed over to businessmen for cultivation, and all access roads to the lake have been blocked due to the construction of electric fences and cultivation.“This massive land grab has created a severe human-elephant conflict and displaced many farmers,” Chamikara claimed.Meanwhile, Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs Sunanda Kariyapperuma also noted this is a serious issue, where the Thera had allocated these lands to a private company for cultivation.“Since these lands were given to the relevant company without a lease agreement, we informed the said company to release estimated details about the said lands,” he stated.According to Kariyapperuma, the Department of Buddhist Affairs is waiting for the company to respond to take necessary action.
