MP Anura Dissanayake, speaking on Wanathamulla evictions

On 11 April 2014

MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in this speech to parliament on the 18th of Feburary 2014, (summary in English) highlights the immediate need to bring back the “law” pertaining to the land acquisitions in Sri Lanka – and that it should be applicable in the ongoing urban evictions “in the name of development”.  Land acquisition for a development project should be carried out under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) No.9 of 1950, which involves notice and compensation prior to displacement.

In addition, a National Involuntary Resettlement Policy (NIRP) (E/S/T*) introduced in 2003, highlights principles of compensation at replacement cost, a negotiated compensation and resettlement process, assistance to recover livelihoods, and a process to voice their grievances.  Evidence from monitoring resettlement of the southern highway conducted by CEPA shows that these principles can be implemented in its entirety and when implemented, gives a better re-integration process fro those who have been displaced. Almost 100% of the people affected participated in a discussion where their compensation and resettlement options were discussed and negotiated and the encroachers’ rights to land use were recognized and compensated. There is a need to incorporate the principles of the NIRP in to the Land Acquisition Act. However at present, there is a greater need to, at a minimum, follow the Land Acquisition Act when people are evicted to clear lands for ‘development purposes’.

To read more about loss of land and livelihoods to the Southern Expressway and how the NIRP helped facilitate the process of compensation, see My Home for your Highway and Losing Land and Livelihoods. Forced evictions in Colombo: The ugly price of beautification, a report by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) on the same issue can be found here.

* Published by Ministry of Land and Land Development