UNDER ‘SUPER LARC’ SYSTEM:
Owners of 52 houses to be compensated:
The Government will introduce the ‘Super LARC’ system of compensation to those affected by the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project, Mahaweli Development State Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday.
The Land Acquisition and Re-settlement Committees (LARCs) were introduced in 2013 to decide on compensation for those who were to lose property during road development and railway development projects.
Those affected thus can appeal to the ‘Super LARC’ body for higher compensation than normally given by the Valuation Department.
“The government has recognised a total of 52 houses which are not suitable to live in due to the project and they are being granted compensation. We have also given them money to rent houses on a temporary basis until permanent land can be allocated,” Minister Amaraweera said. The residents had requested land from the Greg Watte in Badulla but the estate company which leases out the land from the government has objected to land being given from there,
“That land belongs to the state and no matter the objections, the government will make arrangements to give that land to the people or we will take it back from the company,” the state minister said.
Thus far the government, he further explained had paid a sum of Rs.197.6 million for those in the affected houses and a further Rs.367.9 million as compensation for crop damage.
“We have also written off their agricultural loans and provided more time to repay their other loans,” he said.
“An additional Rs.300 million has been released to the Badulla District Secretariat to settle compensation claims,” he added.
“The Valuation Department is faced with a staff shortage and the President has ordered that retired personnel from the Department be used to speed up the process,” the minister said.
“The biggest problem now is the shortage of drinking water. This has been a longstanding issue in Bandarawela but because of the project, the situation has worsened,” the Minister said.
“We have allocated Rs.325 million for two separate water schemes to resolve the matter. One is to be complete by the end of the month and the other in the next two months”,
Amaraweera said.
President Maithripala Sirisena has stressed that these people need to be in a better situation from what they were before the project commenced and we are working to achieve that; no matter the cost,”the minister said.