Sri Lanka Tamil expats should apply for new deeds

By Franklin R. Satyapalan | The Island
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The government requests the Tamils who have gone abroad for various reasons and not visited their agricultural and residential land in the Northern Region for several decades, to apply for new deeds, Minister of Land and Land Development Janaka Bandara Tennakoon says.

The Minister said yesterday that some members of the Tamil community who had abandoned their properties and gone abroad for fear of the LTTE or the conflict or in search of greener pastures should obtain the application form from the Divisional Secretariats.

Once the Ministry of Land and Land Development receives the perfected forms, inquiries to verify the authenticity of each application would be carried out by land officers, and the respective land would be surveyed before a new deed is issued to the rightful owners.

When contacted, the Senior Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Lands and Land Development P. M. P. Udayakantha said that the government had decided to conduct inquiries in stages in each Divisional Secretariat in the districts of the Northern Region.

"Currently, we are inquiring into lands in the Nallur Divisional Secretariat area in the Jaffna District and forms have been made available at the respective Divisional Secretariat, he said.

Land matters in Karachchi, in the Killinochchi district, Nedunkerni in the Vavuniya District, Maritime Pattru in the Mullaitivu district and Musali in the Mannar district are also been looked into.

Udayakantha said that it would be appreciated if applicants would obtain a form, fill it and hand it over personally, but for those who are living abroad and cannot make it to Sri Lanka immediately, they could search the WEB.

© The Island