Colombo has seized at least 30,000 acres of residential and agricultural lands for Sinhala colonization in Mullaiththeevu district alone after 2010, according to the data presented by Northern Provincial Council (NPC) member Thurairasa Raviharan, who moved a resolution condemning the demographic changes at the NPC. The land grab in Sinhalicised Gajabapura in Oddu-chuddaan is also being expanded to the ancient village of Othiya-malai, Mr Raviharan said adding that the Colombo government was using the Mahaweli ‘Development’ Porgramme’s L Scheme to occupy the lands in Mullaiththeevu district. Othiyamalai is situated 25 km beyond the reach of Mahaweli waters, he said.
300 Sinhala families have been brought from South into Gajabapura, which was earlier known as Ceylon theatre. Each of the occupying family has received 1/2 acre residential land and 1 acre of agricultural land. Similarly, 450 Sinhalese families have been brought into Nikkawewa , 400 families into Kalyanapua and 400 in Kiripanwewea, Mr Ravikaran said.
Sinhalese from South have been brought in to the occupied Tamil villages. Not a single Tamil has received lands from Colombo under the Mahaweli scheme so far in Mullaiththeevu district, the NPC councillor said.
In Odduchuddaan, ancient Tamil villages have become Sinhalicised into Gajabapura, Nava-kalyana-pura, Apitawatunu-wewa and Nikkawewa, These areas now come under the Sinhala division of ‘Weli Oya’.
In Karai-thu’raip-pattu division, Tamil villages have been Sinhalicised into Janakapura, Kiripanwewa, Agatualwewa, Kalyanapura and Sampathnuwara.
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