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‘Problematic’ home damage payouts also raise illegal occupier concerns
View(s):By Ishu Bandara
Compensation paid to people whose houses were damaged by the Ditwah cyclone disaster and to residents living in landslide risk areas is likely to be delayed, as several government bodies have raised concerns that the process is flawed. They have warned that if the government continues with the existing approach, it could set a wrong precedent.
Last week, the Sri Lanka Secretaries Association and the Sri Lanka Accountants’ Service Association jointly wrote to the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, raising serious concerns over compensation for houses damaged in the natural disaster and for unauthorised homes in high-risk landslide zones. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Grama Niladari Association said it agrees with the
concerns raised by the associations, warning that the decision to provide compensation without proper assessments could lead to various other issues.
The Sunday Times learns that despite the letter sent to the Ministry of Defence by the two associations, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said publicly that compensation should be provided without any assessment, at a flat rate of Rs. 500,000 to every person whose house was damaged.
This includes even unauthorised residents living in high-risk landslide zones. It appears that the government is standing by this decision without adequately considering long-term issues that may arise.
Most government officials directly dealing with the affected people told the Sunday Times that politicians should not have gone to the media and announced compensation of Rs. 500,000 for housing and Rs. 10 million for land buying before doing valuations. They said people now refuse lower amounts determined on official guidelines.
They also emphasised that doing proper assessments immediately after the disaster, as done by previous governments in similar situations, rather than granting holidays to government workers, was crucial, and that many of the current problems could have been avoided. They noted that although assessments are now attempted, the opportunity for a smooth process has already passed, increasing the risk of errors and irregularities.
“The government’s decision to pay a flat rate of Rs. 500,000 without a technical valuation is practically problematic,” said Sampath Bandara, National Organiser of the Sri Lanka Accountants’ Service Association, in an interview with the Sunday Times.
“When the damage is minor, paying such a large amount without any estimate amounts to a misuse of state funds and creates many difficulties during implementation,” he reasoned.
He also pointed to issues arising from the failure to assess land ownership. “Because the legal status of the land was not examined initially, the government is now being asked to pay compensation to people living on illegal reservations, even in cases where there are ongoing court proceedings to evict them,” he said.
“If proper assessments had been carried out from the beginning, the Government would not be in this contradictory position of compensating people to remain on land they are legally required to vacate.
“We waited for a week for a response from the Government regarding the concerns we raised in the letter sent to the Ministry of Defence jointly with the Sri Lanka Secretaries Association, but we have still not received any response. As a result, the executive committees of our associations will meet next week to discuss the next steps, as we cannot allow the misuse of state funds or contribute to a controversial situation that could affect the country in the future.’’
The General Secretary of the Grama Niladhari National Association, Neville Wijeratne, voiced concerns, saying, “Because assessments were delayed, the rules now go against the promises people heard on TV. This puts Grama Niladhari officers in a difficult position, as the public thinks they are not doing their job or hiding money, even though they are just following the law.”
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