Minister Sunil Handunnetti firmly asserts that no communal or racist conflicts will be tolerated under the current government, promising lasting solutions for the Batticaloa district.
Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti stressed that the government will strictly prevent any form of racist conflict in the country while delivering permanent solutions to the ongoing dairy farmers’ issue in Batticaloa.
Minister Handunnetti made these remarks while addressing the recent Batticaloa District Coordinating Committee meeting, which was held under his chairmanship.
During the meeting, several long-standing issues faced by the residents of the Batticaloa district were thoroughly discussed. Steps have been taken to provide immediate and lasting solutions while completely defeating racist conspiracies operating behind these issues, ensuring the rights and protection of all communities.
Special attention was given to the pasture land issue faced by dairy farmers in the Mayilathamadu and Madhavanai areas, which remains one of the major problems in the district. Minister Handunnetti pointed out that although dairy farmers traditionally move their cattle to these grazing lands during the cultivation season, conflicts arose because parties arriving from the Ampara district had engaged in farming on these same lands.
Emphasizing that certain groups are attempting to provoke conflict behind this issue based on racist agendas, he firmly stated that under the current government, no such communal or racist conflicts will be permitted under any circumstances.
He disclosed that a policy decision has already been made at the presidential level to designate the area as a dedicated pasture zone. Gazetting procedures are currently underway with the agreement of the Mahaweli Authority and the Department of Forest Conservation. Accordingly, ownership of these grazing lands will be secured for the dairy farmers, while alternative lands within the Mahaweli areas will be allocated to the other parties. He further noted that the rights and safety of all communities will be guaranteed through mutual cooperation.
Additionally, severe attention was directed toward the environmental and public impact caused by illegal, unlicensed mining of sand, soil, and gravel within the district. The Minister stated that immediate steps will be taken to crack down on illegal mining through a systematic approach in collaboration with the Police and the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB). Minister Handunnetti, who also serves as the Chairman of the Batticaloa District Coordinating Committee, emphasized that unlicensed mining will not be allowed under any circumstances.
The resource and transport shortages faced by forest conservation officers in the district were also addressed. Noting that Batticaloa received a minimal number of motorcycles out of the fleet distributed to the Eastern Province, the Minister assured that necessary measures will be taken at the ministry level to resolve these deficiencies swiftly.
