The committee appointed to safeguard lands in the Eastern Province convened for the second time yesterday (16) at the Presidential Secretariat, under the chairmanship of Presidential Chief of Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi.
The committee, tasked with preventing illegal land acquisitions, protecting coastal belts, and coordinating state institutions to resolve land issues swiftly, reviewed the progress of field inspections carried out so far and examined the current situation in detail.
Officials provided information on unauthorized constructions along the province’s coastal belts, illegal state land acquisitions, and encroachments on lands belonging to the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
The committee instructed that a comprehensive report on these matters be submitted within two months.
In addition, it was decided to obtain an interim report specifically on unauthorized constructions at Arugam Bay, with inputs to be gathered from District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries during the preparation of reports.
