Land Policy a commendable move

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's assurance that the day is not far away when residents of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu would be given clear titles for their lands would no doubt kindle the hopes of the countless Tamils whose lands are today being forcibly appropriated by the LTTE.

As is well known there is a huge Tamil population who have fled LTTE terror since the beginning of the conflict nearly three decades ago and the lands and property they left behind have been taken over by the LTTE.

It also goes without saying that those already living in these areas have no rein over their land and other possessions which are under the suzerainty of the Tigers. A common sight to a visitor to the North is the unending tracts of forlorn barren land stretching out for miles, which were once thriving homesteads. The same is true of the vast extents of farming land which have been abandoned by fleeing Tamils.

The dream of these people no doubt is to one day return to their land and pick up the pieces of their lives. There are also the IDPs who will one day have to be settled in the native villages in the North and East.

All this of course presupposes the return to peace by defeating the LTTE. This the President is committed to and signs are that the final battle against the LTTE is to commence in earnest at any moment. This would also be an ideal time to finalise a political solution that would meet the aspirations of the peace loving Tamils through the mechanism of the APRC.

The President's comment that such a solution is on the horizon would also no doubt encourage those Tamils opposed to the LTTE and would like to see a solution one way or the other so that they could return to their native lands.

Land has been an issue that has affected all communities across the board and the President's willingness to address this problem without delay will help ease tensions particularly in the Eastern region where this has been a contentious issue.

Addressing land recipients who were granted deeds under the 'Bim Saviya" programme at the Presidential Secretariat the President said Rs.500 million has been allocated in the Budget to distribute 75,000 title deeds.

He said there were 10 million blocks of land in the country in which no investment have been made and the conferment of clear titles would reverse this trend.

The President's announcement of legislation for a national policy on land alienation no doubt is a timely move considering the haphazard manner in which the vesting of land has been done over the decades.

Ideally, this law should contain provisions for the requisition of land that have not been put to productive use.

The Act should also be given sufficient teeth to prevent arable land being parcelled out to property developers given the fate that has befallen the country's coconut plantations.

The regularising of title deeds would also greatly relieve the burden on our Provincial Courts which are inundated with cases of land disputes. A proper land policy will be a boon to overall development as well.

Saving energy

The Ceylon Electricity Board is to embark on a major energy saving drive in a bid to avert massive losses to the CEB next year if the prevailing demand continues.

CEB Chairman Udayasiri Nanayakkara quoted in our lead story yesterday said if they fail to save at least 6 million units (one fifth of the daily consumption) the Board will have no alternative but to raise the per unit cost of electricity by Rs.4.65 from next year.

Launching the CEB's "Save electricity" project, the Chairman said saving one unit means saving Rs.15 with one litre of diesel being used to produce four units of electricity.

It is estimated that 4.3 million litres of fuel are expended each day at a cost of Rs. 274 million. The picture painted by the Chairmen is not very encouraging particularly for industrialists and the production sectors. Why most investors shy away from, Sri Lanka is its astronomical electricity costs which render their businesses unviable.

Enjoining consumers to conserve electricity has been done in the past with little result. If these efforts have achieved success we won't have the CEB lamenting on the need to preserve electricity over and over again.

The ubiquitous illuminations in all major cities during the upcoming festive season is also going to place a severe strain on the CEB. It is well nigh impossible to expect a highly spoilt, gadget oriented populace to do away with ingrained habits.

We also cannot afford rolling blackouts as adopted in other countries to combat power crisis considering the security situation. The CEB therefore is placed in a dilemma.

The only option it seems is to augment the power generation capacity by finding alternatives for fuel generated power which accounts for 65% of our power. There are many sources of power with low gestation periods which the Power and Energy Ministry could explore.

The Chairman also wants to end to the CEB's dependence on the Treasury and convert it into a self generating entity.

If in fact this is the case it would certainly be a huge relief on an already overburdened Treasury which has been pumping billions to keep the CEB afloat. The funds thus saved could then be diverted to address the more pressing needs of the public.