The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has expressed its displeasure at the Land Reforms Commission for not submitting its annual reports despite the repeated insistence of the committee to submit up-to-date annual reports which were last submitted in 2015.

The issue came up when COPE chairman Prof. Ranjith Bandara looked into the status update of the Land Reforms Commission following the recommendations issued at the meeting on December 22, 2022.

It is reported that despite the insistence of the COPE at the previous meeting for a protocol for the conferring of lands by the commission, there has been no progress.

A request was made by the COPE chairman to submit a detailed report into the conveyance lands and an instruction to the ministry to conduct an inquiry as to why protocol was not established.

MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage, in particular, raised the query of the lack of protocol during the conveyance of the Rassagalawatta land for which a specific report was sought. These reports are to be called in two months again.

The chairman instructed the ministry to expeditiously conduct an inquiry into missing files beginning at Ministry level.

Further, an order was given to complete this as soon as possible by providing the necessary technical infrastructure for digital data capture and acquisition of data on lands-related missing files. The Ministry Secretary was asked to report back in 30 days with an update as to progress.

The COPE chairman instructed the Land Reforms Commission to adopt specific internal procedures in contemplating and initiating legal action in respect to issues arising from lands which have been leased.