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Northern lands: NPC chairman writes to President
View(s):Northern Provincial Council chairman C.V.K. Sivagnanam has written to President Mahinda Rajapaksa about implementing constitutional provisions regarding lands in the province.
His letter points out that on October 9 the provincial council adopted a unanimous resolution to implement the provisions as set out in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
Mr. Sivagnanam told the Sunday Times that although the issue about lands had been talked about at public meetings this was the first time an official request representing the northern people as a whole was being made to the President.
He added that when President Rajapaksa visited the Northern Province last week he handed more than 20,000 land permits to the people but the provincial council had not been consulted on the matter.
“Not only that incident, in the past too land permits were issued and registrations processed by the Government without consulting us. We are asking the president to implement the existing 13th Amendment provisions related to land, not new laws or amendments,” he said.
During Friday’s Budget speech President Rajapaksa said that Tamil political parties and concerned groups must work with the ParliamentSelect Committee to find a durable solution to their concerns within the Sri Lankan context.
“I cannot see the rationale to devolve the subject of land and police powers to nine separate provincial councils and how such a move could serve the best interests of law and order and the national economy,” the President said.