Jeevan explains why he intervened in Elkaduwa Plantation melee

COLOMBO (News 1st); Jeevan Thondaman, the Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development over the weekend, intervened in an incident where the administration of the Ratwatte Estate of the Elkaduwa Plantation had taken measures to dismantle a temporary house of a estate worker.

The minister also visited the location, and got involved in a heated verbal exchange with the estate administrator.

In Parliament on Tuesday (22), political groups representing the estate community, the Tamil National Alliance, as well as the Samagi Jana Balavegaya expressed their displeasure over the experience the estate workers had to face.

"Today there is so much of ruckus over the dignity of one man, as opposed to the dignity of my community. And as far as the dignity of my community is concerened, we have not received any," the Minister told the parliament.

He said that when the agreements were inked over the lease of estates, companies were give weak leases where companies total authority over the people.

"Today, I am sitting here and speaking out of pure emotion and the only way it can be sorted out is if these people are giving rights to ownership over land, which we have already informed President Ranil Wickremesinghe, we have informed Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardana, and it's in fact Honorable Minister Ramesh Pathirana who started this move along with Minister Harin Fernando and myself," he told the house. 

Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, the Chief Government Whip slammed the opposition noting, "Those in the opposition who are making noise have been in parliament for years, and some held ministerial positions. If they represented their communities, this issue would never have arisen. We, as the government, will support Minister Thondaman to solve this issue."