Sivagnanam Shritharan, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) Member of Parliament has demanded Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture, K.D. Lalkantha, publicly disclose the true intent behind a gazette notification issued on 28 March 2025, which seeks to acquire over 5,700 acres of land across the Tamil homeland.
Raising the issue during last week’s parliamentary session under Standing Order 27.2, Shritharan posed oral questions to the minister, urging him to inform Parliament of the specific purpose for which the lands cited in the gazette are being acquired, and to explain the urgency behind the acquisition of such a vast area.
Shritharan emphasised that during the decades-long conflict in the North and East, many Tamils were displaced and forced to live with relatives, in temporary shelters, or abroad.
He stressed that rather than facilitating the return of these lands to their rightful owners, the government had now moved to permanently acquire them - an action which, he said, demands urgent clarification.
Shritharan further noted that District Secretariats themselves have acknowledged the loss of, or inability to safeguard, land ownership documents among many Tamil civilians due to the war. In light of this reality, he questioned how the Sri Lankan government could now expect proof of ownership from individuals who had already endured profound hardship. He insisted that the minister explain how land ownership could reasonably be verified under such exceptional circumstances.
In accordance with Standing Order 27.2, ministers are required to respond to oral questions raised by parliamentary group leaders within an appropriate timeframe.
A response has not yet been received.
