President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed that a special committee headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police be established to halt politically motivated land grabs in the Eastern Province, the President’s Media Division said.
The directive came at the Special District Coordination Committee meeting at the Ampara District Secretariat on Friday afternoon (May 22), where the President said multiple instances of land seizure carried out through misuse of political power would no longer be tolerated. He also instructed the security forces to prevent unauthorised land reclamation in the province.
On the recurring overflow of the Gal Oya — which affects Ampara, Sammanthurai, Karaitivu, Addalachchenai, Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu, Irakkamam, Damana and Ninthavur Divisional Secretariat areas — the President directed an urgent study to identify a permanent solution and confirmed initial funding would be allocated.
He further instructed officials to develop a comprehensive scientific plan to protect the Eastern coastline from erosion, noting that rocks and barriers were not a long-term solution. Oluvil Harbour and fisheries infrastructure are to be considered in the study.
The President noted that 16 years had passed since the end of the conflict without a structured resettlement programme for displaced persons in the region, and instructed an urgent plan be developed. He also drew attention to issues facing sugarcane farmers in Hingurana, saying companies in the sector must engage with cultivators to resolve emerging problems.
Discussions covered tourism zones in Arugam Bay and Panama, an indigenous-village tourism project in the Maduru Oya reserve at Henanigala South, consolidation of government offices in Kalmunai under an urban development project, and a stalled drinking-water project in Lahugala.
The 2026 Budget has allocated Rs 22,000 million for development projects in the Ampara District.
The President also reviewed Cyclone Ditwah compensation and relief for Ampara families, covering housing damage, crop and livestock losses, and fisheries communities.
The Ampara meeting follows the President’s Batticaloa and Ampara visit earlier this week and pairs with India’s $2.37 billion six-project package for Eastern Province development announced earlier this month.
