New Authority to develop villages in the plantations

The Government is to set up a new authority to develop new villages in the plantation region of Sri Lanka.

The Bill to set up an Authority known as the New Villages Development Authority for the Plantation Region has been issued yesterday, and it will soon be presented to Parliament by Hill Country, New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development Minister P. Digambaran.

The new villages will replace the existing line room housing in estates with single houses and improved basic infrastructure facilities within those estates.

The Authority will be responsible for coordinating the planning and implementation of development projects in the plantation regions.

The Government, with this move, aims to include the plantation community into the social mainstream by socio-economic, cultural and infrastructure development in the plantation region. The new Authority will work hand in hand with other natiwonal, provincial, and district level implementing agencies in the plantation region.

The Authority will facilitate the issuance of title deeds for the legal occupants of the houses in the estates to grant them house ownership. It will assist the youth in the estate sector to enter the tertiary and higher educational institutions to pursue education. It will also promote alternative livelihood opportunities and provide necessary guidance and inputs in respect of them to the estate communities.

Strengthening conservation measures aimed at minimizing physical degradation of land and water resources and eliminating environmental pollution in estate lands, and identifying hazardous sites in consultation with the National Building Research Organization and National Disaster Management Centre are also functions coming under the proposed Authority.

The Board of Management of the proposed Authority will consist of 13 members including seven ex-officio members. The ex-officio members are from seven Ministries, namely the Plantation Industries, Finance, Public Enterprise Development, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Housing and Construction, Land and Hill Country, New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development. One of the appointed members will be from the Planters Association of Ceylon to represent the plantation companies.