Govt. to provide registered permanent addresses to estate workers after 200 years

• Decision made in response to a FR petition filed by an estate worker

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda  

The Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court  that the government has taken steps to provide registered permanent  addresses to the estate community residents who do not possess a  residential address over the past 200 years.   Deputy Solicitor General Kanishka de Silva made these  remarks when the Fundamental Rights petition filed by an estate worker  seeking an order directing the authorities to grant registered permanent  addresses to the estate community residents of all over the country  came up before the Supreme Court.  

Senior Counsel Lakshan Dias appearing for the petitioner  informed the court that the estate Workers living in Sri Lanka are  facing severe difficulties due to the lack of registered residential  addresses allocated to their residences and this issue has not been  addressed over the past 200 years.  

Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya informed the court that  the petitioner now can be satisfied with the measures taken by the government  after 200 years.   

Having considered the facts, the Supreme Court  three-judge-bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, Justice  A.H.M.D. Nawaz and Justice Arjuna Obeysekera decided to terminate the  case proceeding pertaining to the petition, reserving petitioner’s  rights to re-open the case.   

Petitioner Jeewarathnam Sureshkumar a resident of  Muwankanda Waththa in Mawathagama filed this petition concerning the  Estate Workers and their families living in Sri Lanka who are considered  as citizens of this country but are equally aggrieved as the petitioner  himself due to the lack of registered residential addresses allocated  to their residences.   

The petitioner had named the Minister of Public  Administration, Home Affairs Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Plantation  Industries Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Water Supply and Estate  Infrastructure Development Jeewan Thondaman and several others as  respondents.  

The Petitioner states that the Janatha Estates Development  Board (JEDB) managed nearly 277 plantations and about 400,000 people  reside in those plantations, all of whom do not possess a residential  address.