Problems of plantation workers unresolved for 202 years – Minister Samantha Vithyarathne
15-Oct-2025.
Plantation workers generate more than approximately USD 2 billion annually in foreign exchange for the country.
While this revenue addresses various national problems, the specific issues of the workers themselves remain unresolved.
Minister of Plantations and Social Infrastructure, Samantha Vithyarathne, stated that the government is implementing a plan to change this situation.
In line with commitments beyond providing land and housing rights, the government will also ensure that plantation workers receive a daily wage of Rs. 1,700, the minister added.
On October 12, in Bandarawela, documents for housing under the Indian housing scheme were distributed to 2,056 beneficiaries.
Addressing the gathering, the minister noted that this is a historic day for the hill country people, who have contributed significantly to Sri Lanka’s economy for the past 202 years. They have generated billions in foreign exchange, yet their own problems have remained unresolved.
As a result, prior to elections, President Anuragumar Dissanayake issued the historic Hatton declaration, promising to resolve long-standing issues faced by hill country communities. The construction of the fourth phase of the Indian housing project begins today.
Under the first phase, 1,300 houses were handed over last year. For the first time in history, construction for 2,000 houses is commencing simultaneously, and documentation for entitlement is being provided to start the first phase.
The minister thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his cooperation and emphasized that many families still live in small line rooms in deteriorated housing, with inadequate facilities even for children or animals in some areas.
The 2,056 houses handed over today are substantially completed, with the Indian government providing financial support and the Sri Lankan government funding infrastructure such as electricity, sanitation, water, and roads. Land rights, including ten perches per household, are also granted.
Despite enduring hardships over generations, the plantation community had not received proper solutions from authorities. In 2014, a landslide in the Meeriyapeththa area killed 36 residents living in line rooms.
In 2023, another landslide in the Poonagala-Kaparakal area left 50 families homeless, still residing in unsafe, closed tea factories. Fifty houses are now being constructed in Kaparakal for these families, nearing
completion.
Priority is being given to housing for hill country communities in landslide-prone areas. Today, 2,000 beneficiaries threatened by landslides are receiving house ownership rights.
The minister reiterated that, just as housing rights and wages will be provided, all homes built on 550 square feet plots will include two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a toilet. Assistance from all contributors to the project was acknowledged, with further expectations to be fulfilled in stages.
