In a recent revelation during a meeting of the Eastern Province Development Committee, chaired by President Ranil Wickramasinghe, concerns have been raised about the arbitrary allocation of vast land holdings in the region.

The committee disclosed that significant tracts of land in the Eastern Province have been distributed to various parties without proper oversight or regulation. Of particular concern, it was revealed that land had been informally granted to religious institutions in the Trincomalee district, potentially raising questions about transparency and equity in land allocation.

Furthermore, a substantial portion of land, originally designated for the Mahaweli development project in the Batticaloa district, has been re-gazetted as a reserve by the Wildlife Department. This move, which covers an area of 45,000 acres bordering the Batticaloa and Polonnaruwa districts, has sparked controversy. The rationale behind the conversion of this land from a development project to a wildlife reserve remains unclear, prompting accusations of land misappropriation.

In response to these revelations, the Select Committee of the Parliament has taken action, deciding to reduce the land allocation for the Trincomalee Thiriya Temple from the originally requested 3,065 acres to 265 acres, aiming to bring a measure of control to land distribution.

The situation has raised serious concerns about the transparency and fairness of land allocation processes in the Eastern Province. President Wickramasinghe has responded by ordering officials to submit a report within a week, covering land allocation activities in the Eastern Province between 2019 and 2023