Kataragama gem find: Villagers say politicians steal their share
Residents of Thammanawewa village in Kataragama are furious over area politicians’ doublegame in the three blocks of gem-rich land promised to them.
Following the discovery of gems from soil removed from the village for road filling, authorities identified an area, divided it into 51 plots and sold them at an auction which brought more than Rs. 260 million to the public coffers. Of these plots, three were given to the villagers.
But the residents charged that the area’s ruling party politicians who spoke in support of the plots being given to the villagers were intruding into the very plots at night and removing the soil. They said the stolen soil was taken in trucks to Kochchipathana in Yala for sifting.
A villager who did not want to be named told the Sunday Times they knew little or nothing about gems but the news of the discovery of gems in the village roused their interest and gave them hope for a better future. “We tried to remove some soil from the area but the police hit us.
National Gem and Jewellery Authority Chairman Prasad Galhena said they would not approve gem mining in an area if it poses danger to the environment.
“We have the authority to strike a balance between the environment and the people. We can’t allow any mining activity to cause harm to the environment even if that place contains many valuable gems,” he said.
He said Sri Lanka’s forest cover was just 9 percent which was a rate much below the required 20 percent. They hit my wife and daughter. I was in hospital for a few days,” he said.
United National Party Pradeshiya Sabha member H.R.K. Roshan said some police officers and soldiers were helping ruling party politicians in the area to steal the gem-rich soil from the three plots which the National Gem and Jewellery Authority had allocated to the Thammanawewa villagers.
Describing the sale of the land as a bad decision, the UNP politician said the villagers were living in poverty and without electricity. “The village is rich in gems, “Since there is no scientific method to detect if a land contains gems, some people resort to digging. This is harmful to the environment and the Gem and Jewellery authority is taking action to stop the practice,” said Mr. Galhena.
He said this week the Authority with the help of the Special Task Force took six lorry loads of soil removed from a state land in the Matale Elahera area after people in the area protested.
He said it was the second such incident in the week. but it is the people from outside the village who become rich,” he said.
However, Pradeshiya Sabha chairman Chanaka Amila denied these charges and said the only people who were taking the soil from area were those who bought the plots at the auction.
Asked about the three plots pledged to the villagers, Mr. Amila said they had already been divided and distributed to the 54 families living in the village.
Responding to the charge that the villagers were chased away from the plots when they tried to remove the soil, the PS chairman said they were trying to do some construction work and “we stopped them.”
The Lunugamwehera police claimed they had received no complaints about the removal of soil from the three plots given to the villagers.
National Gem and Jewellery Authority chairman Prasad Galhena said security in the areas had been tightened and six cameras had been set up to monitor what was taking place. “We are monitoring the place every time and everything which takes place is being recorded,” he said.