The notices were issued to the house owners in June, and SLPA sources said the evacuation process will take place in two phases.
“Those who come under Phase I will have to leave within three-month period, while those coming under Phase II will be give another year to leave.

The Authority is acquiring the land for a major development project aimed at expanding the Colombo harbour,” an informed source said.

While the residents of the Bloemendhal housing scheme believe that their eviction is to make way for the SLPA to go ahead with a hotel or a sports complex, SLPA sources told The Nation that the land is to build an extensive container yard.

“SLPA’s need to build a container yard can be understood. However, eviction of the present occupants will pose a big problem. They are already restive due to the uncertainty of their future, once displaced. They are also uncertain whether they will get by way of compensation, at least the money they had to spend to get a house allocated... Most occupants had paid Rs 150,000 to 250,000 as `santhosham’ to third parties, to get a house allocated.

This is against the accepted procedure of the SLPA, relating to allocation of quarters to its employees. But employees requiring a house had been compelled to pay `santhosham’ to influence peddlers to obtain a house within the scheme,” he added.

According to the accepted practice, an employee was given marks under certain criteria, and those who got high marks became eligible to get a house in the Bloemendhal housing scheme allocated free of charge.

“You are not required to pay a cent to obtain a house. If you are employed in a section considered as essential within the SLPA, provided your private residence is situated in excess of 50 km, from the workplace, you become eligible to occupy a house within the scheme.

The number of family members will also be taken into consideration,” he said, while adding that, in the recent past, this procedure was ignored and houses were allocated to employees who would pay `santhoshan’ to officials of a certain trade union, who were peddling their influence, or certain corrupt officials within its management,” the spokesman explained.

Residents of the housing scheme said they keep mum about irregularities relating to allocation of houses, as they could not afford to antagonise either the trade union officials or high officials of the management.

“Not only the occupants of the SLPA quarters, but all those living in unauthorised structures running parallel to the railway line, and residents living around the place up to Kimbulaela area, were asked to evacuate.

A high ranking official who came for a meeting with the occupants recently, warned us that we will lose our jobs, if we resorted to trade union action to get the vacation notice cancelled. We will be compelled to remove our kids from the schools they are attending now, in the event of our failure to find a place to stay in close proximity,” several occupants of the Bloemendhal housing scheme said.

Several attempts made to contact the SLPA Chairman for his comments, failed.(Nation)