News
One day their houses could disappear
On the far side of Fingara Town and Country Club on Old Kesbewa Road Rattanapitiya, Boralesgamuwa, is a narrow footpath which leads to a number of houses. Invisible to those who come and go to the club in expensive cars, the concrete-block houses are shabby and look unstable.
Athula Dias (inset): His parapet wall (above) was taken down and some five perches of his land taken without any official valuation of the property
One house stands apart from the rest. Forty-three-year-old widow Jayanthi Damayanthi laboriously built it over several years with the aid of the village monk and neighbours after her husband died, leaving her as sole carer of a two-week-old baby girl and another daughter. She does not have enough money to paint the house.
Soon this house, along with more than 20 others ,will be demolished as a part of the Weres Ganga Rainwater, Drainage and Environment Development Project carried out by the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC). The villagers are happy that the area is being developed but they lack clear information about whether fair compensation will be given to allow them reasonable options for relocation.
Although the authorities sent them a letter informing that their land and house are to be acquired for development purposes, no exact date or amount has ever been stated in writing.
“This house is like my heart. I built it stone by stone with the help of well-wishers. I was happy here because it provided security and a roof for my little ones,” Jayanthi said. She wakes up in the middle of the night worried that she’ll have to pack up and leave at any moment.
The project has already begun in one part of the area. In several cases parapet walls were reportedly taken down without advance warning to the residents. Athula Dias, 41, a lab assistant, is deeply concerned about the construction work. His parapet wall was taken down and some five perches of his land taken over but no official valuation was carried out on the property.
“We went to the Land Ministry a couple of times seeking when and how we’ll get the compensation. They told us they’ll provide the necessary documents but this was postponed from one week to the next. We are not against this project but we need an assurance that we will not become casualties of it,” he said.
D.M. Sumanawathi: Not informed of relocation moves. Pix by Susantha Liyanwatte
The residents said that the valuators had visited their properties and given verbal assurances that certain sums would be paid as compensation. They believe these sums are too low to rebuild a house or buy land close to the nearest town or their children’s schools.
D. M. Sumanawathi, 40, a mother of three, has been living in the area for 40 years. Her livelihood comes from renting out two rooms of her home; but now the house will be demolished and the property acquired by the state.
“We haven’t been told when they will break up the house or what kind of measures they will take to relocate us. We will have to build our house from the scratch. With today’s cost of living can ordinary people like us find the means to do this?” she asked. The Land and Land Development Ministry acquires the land and provides it to the SLLRDC for the construction work. Its Director (Land Acquisition) Irene Nanayakkara said that all the residents had been notified prior to the construction work.
“We can’t issue money as soon as the proposal is finalised. There are several steps that should be taken before we get to that stage,” she said. Ms Nanayakkara said every project needed to be completed in stages (sections). “It is under section seven that compensation will be given. Before that the residents will be called for a meeting at the ministry and with the valuation information before both parties the sums of compensation will be finalised,” she said.
Rattanapitiya, Boralesgamuwa: Where work on the project has begun
She assured that no resident would be left helpless in cases where the whole house is demolished. She also said a special package had been introduced to provide compensation to those who could not prove their ownership of the property.
Nevertheless a large number of residents still go to sleep each night not knowing what will happen to them the following day. And sadly, because of the lack of information from the authorities, disagreements have now begun breaking out among the residents.