Hon. Aravinda Senarath
2026-02-18
The Minister acknowledged longstanding irregularities in the alienation and administration of Land Reform Commission (LRC) lands, attributing these to political patronage and misconduct by institutional officers. He outlined that the Ministry of Lands has launched a programme to regularise permits, grants, and title deeds for LRC and other State lands, with approximately 65,000 title deeds planned for issuance by May of the current year. The Minister assured the House that a separate programme to confer legal status on LRC occupants is also underway and would be concluded within a short period.
Hon. Member, we have answered many questions in this House regarding LRC lands. It is evident that there have historically been highly irregular processes in alienation and exclusions from LRC lands due to various reasons—political preferences and, at times, the actions of some institutional officers. Our inquiries have identified these irregularities and we are taking appropriate action.
For LRC and other State lands, the Ministry of Lands has now launched a broad programme to regularize permits, grants and the issuance of title deeds. Accordingly, residents in LRC lands will be considered and, expeditiously, afforded lawful regularization. In fact, by around May this year, we are planning to issue approximately 65,000 title deeds. We have also commenced a programme to confer legality to LRC occupants within a short period. Therefore, I am pleased to inform the Hon. Member that we will work to resolve this issue promptly.