Many millions worth of hundreds of acres of state lands were fraudulently taken hold by the Manthai West Divisional Secretary, according to the information brought by the general public to light.
Affected people belonging to the Paliyaru, Vellankulam, Illupaikadavai DS divisions lodged a number of complaints at Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Mannar District Secretariat with regard to the land appropriation by the Manthai DS and the permit fraudulently issued by him for sand mining and cutting the forest trees.
At this stage, two officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs went to the Manthai West Divisional Secretariat on 24th of March and investigated the DS Manikkavasakar Srishkanthakumar (Anton) as per the allegations on him. Also they registered the confessions of the Manthai West DS in this regard.
Subsequently, these particular offices went to paliyaru, vellankulam areas and conducted the investigations among the people belonging to there.
Meanwhile, the residents of the area evidently pointed out that 50 acres of land that had been duly provided by the then Mathai West Divisional Secretary to the people belonging to Thevanpitti village were taken hold by the present DS by fraudulently using the land deeds of vellankulam people.
In addition, the documents for these particular 50 acres of land had been prepared at the name of Subashini Devi, the wife of murder accused and suspended former Grama Niladari Sivanesan who is a close friend of the DS Manikkavasakar Srishkanthakumar (Anton). Then he cleared this particular state land and started doing the paddy cultivation there.
In addition, about 4 acres of state land situated near the Mannar-Jaffna main road were provided by the DS Manikkavasakar Srishkanthakumar (Anton) to his close relatives one acre per each with the land permits. Illayathambi Manikkavasakar, father of the Manthai West DS is the one among the four who had been provided these lands, residents of that area revealed. Coconut cultivation was done in this particular land and it has now become a coconut farm.
Manthai West DS initially took action to provide a portion of state land located at Vellankulam, Mallavi and Mankulam to the people belonging to vellankulam and Kanesapuram (recently assasinated ex-cadre Naguleshwaran’s village) per one acre. For that, the then Grama Niladari Sivanesan charged Rs.5000 from 50 persons resided at Kanesapuram. However, these particular people were disappointed without providing the lands, residents of that area told the officials from Colombo.
Grand of worth of state land located at the Namayankulam had been taken hold by the Manthai West DS at the names of relatives Nalliah Varatalatshumi, Karunakaran and his father Illayathambi Manikkavasakar by using the land permit of another one.
In the meantime, the disappointed and annoyed villagers lodged a number of complaints at Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs. People clearly told the officials that Naguleshwaran was assassinated as he sternly argued against these deceptive activities. Also the residents made the officials known that Sivanesan, former Vellankulam GS and a close friend of the the Manthai West DS was arrested in connection with the assassination of ex-cadre Naguleshwaran.
Meanwhile the officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs assured the people that the appropriate actions should immediately be taken with regard to these frauds.
