Forest hermitages to register with Environment Ministry

Forest hermitages that have received land from the Forest Conservation Department and have failed to register under the Wana Sensun programme launched by the Environment Ministry in 2007 will have to pay commercial rates for the land.

The hermitages would then have to pay the rates levied according to the land area in its possession.

It was last week reported that an assessment tax of Rs. 250 is now levied on a hermitage possessing land less than two acres. A sum of Rs.300 per acre is to be levied on hermitages possessing between three to five acres, and Rs.500 for every acre if the hermitage possessed land in excess of five acres.

According to the new tax scheme a forest hermitage should be less than five acres.

Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka told The Sunday Leader that the Ministry together with the Forest Conservation Department was in the process of identifying the real forest hermitages in the country, as some of the lands initially acquired for forest hermitages have been used for commercial purposes.

He explained that land for hermitages were initially allocated under different purposes, which also included land given out for agriculture and commercial purposes.

Under the Wana Sensun programme launched in 2007, the Environment Ministry had requested all forest hermitages that have received land from the Forest Conservation Department to register themselves with the Environment Ministry.

"The hermitages that have registered with Wana Senasun are recognised as forest hermitages and are required to pay only Rs. 20 per acre annually. Under the programme only two acres are allocated for a forest hermitage. Therefore, they would have to pay Rs. 40 per year. If they still inform us that they find it difficult to make the payment, we pay it for them," he said.

While there are close upon 200 forest hermitages located island wide on lands belonging to the Forest Department, a few have registered themselves under Wana Senasun.

"The target of the programme was to get at least 100 hermitages to register," Ranawaka said. However, hermitages that have failed to register under Wana Sensun and possessing over two acres would have to pay commercial rates for the land.

He alleged that politicians during previous governments had allocated land to their associates for commercial purposes claiming to be for forest hermitages.

"During the UNP regime a lot of land was allocated to various persons claiming to be for hermitages," he alleged.

Ranawaka said the Ministry was in the process of streamlining the system and identifying the lands being used for commercial purposes from that being used for forest hermitages.