Feb 17, Colombo: Sri Lankan government has decided to acquire the land that is now being used as High Security Zones permanently, a local Sinhala newspaper reported.

The acquisition is to be done under the Land Acquisition Act and the newspaper reported that the Ministry of Defense had already made a request in this regard from the Ministry of Lands and Land Development.

Reportedly, the government is to acquire an extent of over 2000 acres of land.

As the first step of acquisition, a gazette notification will be issued earmarking the area as lands to be acquired by the government. An evaluation of the land will be carried out after that.

Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe has reportedly verified the moves for the acquisition.

The Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has recommended the government to review the existing High Security Zones, as well as small extents of private land currently utilized for security purposes, with a view to release more land while keeping national security needs in perspective.

It recommended provision of alternate lands and or payment of compensation within a specific time frame if the government occupied lands cannot be released to the owners.