Sad plight of a helpless newspaper seller

K.P Lavnis is a newspaper seller, yet not an ordinary one. He has been selling newspapers for almost three decades in Ratmalana and people in the area are used to buying their daily papers from Lavnis.

Recently his small boutique was demolished by a group from the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council without informing him. Helpless Lavnis told Daily Mirror that he engaged in this legally and that he had paid his rates all these years.

“The land in which my small boutique shop is situated belongs to the Municipal Council. From time to time some of the politicians and government officials told me to remove the shop. But I have paid tax rates to the Municipal Council,” he said.

Lavnis stated that the shop was approved by the Municipal Council. Yet some of the authorities wanted to remove it forcibly.

“Although I had permission some officials tried to remove the shop forcibly. I complained of my plight to the Deputy Mayor Kesara Lal Gunasekera and he made necessary arrangements to give the shop back to me,” he said.

However a case has been filed demanding that he removed the shop from its current location. Since Lavnis cannot afford to pay for an attorney and other procedural fees he has requested for legal aid.