Oct 26, Colombo: Lands and Land Development Minister of Sri Lanka Janaka Bandara Tennakoon says that the country's land policy is not implemented according to Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim ethnic communities.

Tennakoon has told the media that the land policy would be applied to everyone in the country as Sri Lankans in accordance with the existing laws.

He has said that the 'Bim Saviya' programme to register land owners has been initiated following Cabinet approval and that it would be implemented in every part of the country including the North and East.

Under the government's 'Bim Saviya' National Land Title Registration Programme, all lands in the island are surveyed demarcated, ensured ownership and issued a Title Certificate, free of charge.

The land owners are required to provide accurate information and hand it over to the Grama Niladhari of the respective Divisional Secretariat by November 20.

The Minister has explained that the programme would help people establish ownership to the lands they own, especially, the people in the North and East following the three decade long war.

According to Tennakoon, the government has focused attention on ensuring that the rightful people in the North and East would be given the right to their lands.

Sri Lanka's major Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) opposes the government�s move to register the lands accusing the government of land grabbing to promote Sinhala colonization.

(Source: ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka)