{"id":99463,"date":"2020-02-29T15:43:56","date_gmt":"2020-02-29T22:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=99463"},"modified":"2020-02-29T15:43:56","modified_gmt":"2020-02-29T22:43:56","slug":"an-open-letter-and-a-plea-to-the-president-and-the-whole-nation-to-save-the-central-hill-country-the-hadabima-of-the-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/02\/29\/an-open-letter-and-a-plea-to-the-president-and-the-whole-nation-to-save-the-central-hill-country-the-hadabima-of-the-nation\/","title":{"rendered":"An open letter and a plea to the President and the whole nation to save the Central Hill Country \u201cThe HADABIMA\u201d of the nation."},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara (SLAS) retired Permanent Secretary to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayaka, \u00a0President Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association (1991-1994) and President Mahanuwara Sinhala Bauddha Jesta Puravesiyange Sanvidhanaya.<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Stop the wanton destruction and devastation of the HADABIMA (Central Hill Country) of the Motherland\nimmediately and get every man, woman and child to protect it as  his or her own heart and also  observe the concept as a RELIGION\u201d in this\ncountry to save the Sinhala nation and the country\u2019s unique civilization.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paper deals with the crying need to save the\nnation\u2019s HADABIMA from the ongoing haphazard and wanton destruction and devastation\ncarried out there in the name of development and reconciliation, to save this\ncountry from virtual extinction, both as a nation and an island suitable for\nlife.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is discussed under the following headings to make\nit easy for the readers to comprehend.<\/em> 1 What is the concept of HADABIMA (the\nCentral Hill Country) and what is its critical role in sustaining the entire life\nsystem and the civilization in this country. 2 The wanton destruction and devastation\ndone there in history and at present in the name of development and ethnic reconciliation.\n3 The serious consequences it will have on the country\u2019s water resources, quality\nof land, climate, entire life system and civilization in the Island in the long\nrun. 4 What should be done to arrest this criminal devastation and finally 5 An\nappeal to the Government and the whole nation to protect it as your own heart\nand observe the concept as a religion?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 What is the concept of HADABIMA (the Central Hill\nCountry) and what is its critical role in sustaining the entire life system and\nthe civilization in this country?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong>I use the word HADABIMA in this paper to call the Central Hill\nCountry of Sri Lanka as I have named it in 1991, which I have explained below.\nAll land above 1000 ft above MSL in this country is called the HADABIMA of the\ncountry for the purpose of this discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origin of the HADABIMA concept and why I call the\nCentral Hill Country The Hadabima (Heart Land) of the Nation<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I named this as\nthe HADABIMA of Sri Lanka in 1991 on three counts when I was the Executive\nDirector of NADASA project. Firstly, its physiography, that resembles a heart flanked\nby two lungs on either sides, as shown in the diagram given below. Second, it\u2019s\ngeographical location right at the centre of the Island and third, its\nfunctional correlation with that of a blood circulatory system in a human and\nthe Hydrological cycle as shown in Fig 2  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This perception\nfirst occurred to me with my familiarity with the peculiar physiography of the\nHill country and its relationship to the general lay out of the Islands\nlandscape and the unique radial drainage pattern that has a commanding grip\nover the entire Island and its critical role in the story of sustainability of\nthe entire life system in the country as a student of Geography. My\nbaccalaureate training in Geography at the University helped me to first\nvisualize the analogy between the broad physiography of the central hill\ncountry with its two outliers, the Knuckles ranges on the North East and\nRakwana Hills on the South West. Actually one day this happened by accident as <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                               \nFig 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source: Sudath\nGunasekara 1991<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I turned the\nphysiographic map of the central hill country 15 degrees clock vice. After that\nI superimposed a drawing of the heart flanked by the two lungs on it and\nthereafter looking at the blood circulatory system in a human with that of the\nhydrological cycle (Fig 2) I found a jig saw fit between the two diagrams and\nthe circulatory processes that enabled me to draw a close analogy between the\noverall morphology of the central hill country and its functions with that of a\nblood circulation system. Further insight in to the functions of a human heart\nto the physical functions of the Central Highlands revealed me a close\ncorrelation between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thereafter I\nvisualized the Islands river system as the arteries that perform the function\nof blood circulation in a living organism. In this case I visualize the river\nsystem as the arteries that keep the hydrological cycle going as I have pointed\nout in my original concept paper on this subject that was published in the\nIsland paper and Lankaweb Dec. 2. 2017. with full details. As I have sated\nthere, in closer examination \u201das much as the beat of the heart decides the fate\nof a man, similarly, the physical stability (beat) of the central hill country\ndecides the fate of the entire life system and the civilization of this country\u201d.\nTherefore, the crying needs to protect the Sri Lanka\u2019s geographical Heartland\nat any cost to sustain the entire life system and the civilization in this\ncountry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 103 rivers\nof the Island that provide water to sustain the entire life system on this land,\nagriculture, industry and hydro power and human civilization have their sources\non these hills, supported by the forest cover that protects their physical\nstability. If the forests are not there, there want be any rain and the rivers\nwill cease to flow. If the rivers go dry at their sources they will go dry in\ntheir entirety and the whole country will end up as an uninhabitable sterile\ndesert. As much as the man dies when the heart stops, similarly on the day the\nphysical stability of the central hills is gone the entire life system of the <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                       (Map 1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source:\nHydrological Survey Department<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Island will\ndisappear from its surface. It is in this context I argued for the crying need\nto protect the central hill country like the heart of our nation as this is the\nonly watershed that provides water for the whole Island. This is a unique\nsituation in the whole world. Therefore the need to protect it as the nation\u2019s\nheart, you will agree, is a matter between life and death and survival for this\nnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Central Hill\nCountry also provides the source for all the rivers in the Island. Out of a\ntotal of 103 rivers, nearly forty have their sources directly on these high\nwatersheds. Even the other streams in the Island owe their origin and the\ncourses to the broader foundation of land forms set by the underlying geological\nstructure of the central high lands (Map 2). Draining down the hills and the\ncoastal lowlands all around sculpturing the landscape and feeding the whole\ncountry with their bountiful water resources, the rivers form the live \u2018veins\nand arteries\u2019 that keep the Islands entire life system alive.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

         (Map2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source Sudath\nGunasekara 1991<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rivers\ntransport the excess water that falls from the heavens together with the water\nreleased by the sub-surface in to the high seas. The forest cover and the\nsub-surface absorb part of the rainfall. The forest cover and the water bodies\nalso transfer a part of the rainfall received by them back to the atmosphere by\nway of evapo-transpiration. Together with what is evaporated from the ocean the\nsame rain water that falls from the heavens thus returns as rain through the\nprocess of evaporation and precipitation activated by solar radiation and\natmospheric circulation. Once again the excess water is transported back to the\nseas by the rivers. This we call the hydrological cycle (Map 3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

               Map  3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source Sudath\nGunasekara 1991<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I have\nalready pointed out in my concept paper discussed in more detail referred to on\npage 2 above as much as the beat of the\nheart decides the fate of the man the physical stability (the beat) of the\ncentral hill country decides the fate of the entire life system in this country\nand finally the sustainability of its civilization\u201d   This danger calls for the immediate arrest of\nthis devastation of the HADABIMA of the nation by human intervention.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why I\nsay that the importance of the HADABIMA (Central Hill Country of this Island)\nin maintaining the survival of the entire life system and the civilization of\nthis Island nation and the protection of which should be observed as a\nRELIGION\u201d in this country and that it also should be inculcated to every man,\nwoman and child in this country and taught in all schools and Universities in\nthis country, throughout its history<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is with this\nbroad national objective of protecting this cyclic natural phenomena, I call\nupon the nation to give top priority to protect the physical stability of the\nland above 5000 ft MSL as a strictly declared reserved and protected forest and\nlimit all human settlement strictly to land below 3500 ft as it was done in the\nancient times. If you take a look at Kotmale, Welimanda and Mandaramnuwara\nsettlements you will see the wisdom of our ancient Kings. They never allowed\nany settlement above this level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the days of\nthe Sinhala Kings all lands above 3500 ft MSL and even the Udawatta Kele<\/em> behind the Senkadagala<\/em>\npura<\/em> (that is only about 1000-1050 ft\nabove msl), were declared as Thahanchi\nkele<\/em> (strictly reserved and prohibited forest) by Royal decree, where any\nfelling, collecting timber or forest produce or even firewood, digging, mining,\nhunting, encroaching or settlements were strictly prohibited, violation of\nwhich entailed serious punishment. There were only 3 isolated settlements on\nrecord in ancient times that reached even 3500 ft elevation as stated above. They\nwere Kotmale (the oldest BC), Welimanda (early medieval period (7thC AD to 13th<\/sup>\nC AD) and Mandaram Nuwara a small settlement opened up during the Kotte period\nto temporally settle King Rajasinha\u2019s band of Hindu priests. That was how the\nancient native patriotic Kings who knew their history and geography of the land\nand who loved their motherland (in contrast to the present day unpatriotic and\nself\u2013centered and vote hunting rulers elected by the people called politicians),\njealously protected the nations prime watersheds. That is how they guaranteed\nthe all-important physical stability of the central hill country that acted as\nthe biggest natural reservoir of the nation and the main life giving agent of\nthe whole country and that provided the source for the country\u2019s entire network\nof rivers and made them perennial and guaranteed the un-interrupted supply of\nwater resources for a bountiful agrarian society throughout history, unlike the\npresent day politicians, who are a direct product of the colonial rulers and\nwho are only carrying out the colonial agenda for their masters in England.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 The wanton destruction and devastation a) done there\nin history and b) at present in the name of development and ethnic\nreconciliation. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The devastations done in history<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large scale\nunlawful criminal devastation and wanton destruction of the millennia old forest\ncover and the environmental harmony in the hill country was first started by\nthe Colonial British planters in mid-19th century after taking over all\nreserved forest and our ancestral lands by force under the Land Encroachment\nOrdinance No 40 of 1840, the Temple Land Ordinance of 1853 and finally the\nWaste Land Ordinance No 1 of 1897. Opening up of the central highlands by\nremoving the forest cover amounting to about 600 000 acres of virgin forest going\nup to 8000 ft above sea  level was the first\ncrime they did. The land so opened up for coffee and tea includes not only farmsteads\nand paddy fields of peasants but also temples and Devala lands. Coffee and Tea\nplantations was started under these colonial invasion to enrich their coffers\nin Britain at the peril of our motherland, while the displaced ancestral legal\nowners of these lands were desperately looking up helplessly from the valley\nbottoms as to how the invaders were destroying their reserved forest and farms\nand hena<\/em> lands and how they are being\nconverted to coffee and later to Tea plantations sprawling all over these\nhighlands. (Read the writings by Moire, (1889) Le Mesurier, Samuvel Baker\n(!885), F.D. Vincent, PM Lushington, and Kelani Valley Railway Commission\nReport (1894) for more details) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This devastation\nwas followed by construction of roads and railway lines cutting across\nmountains all over the highlands and constructing factories and buildings to\nhouse the million odd Indian slaves they brought from South India to work on\nthe plantations, who have today apparently become the de facto<\/em> owners of these lands mainly due to the fault of the\npoliticians who were supposed to have ruled this country since Independence up\nto date. The fact that the proposed Act for the Kanda Udarata Urumaya Surakime\nAuthority has made it compulsory to obtain the concurrence of the Minister in\ncharge of the Subject of Hill Country Village and Infrastructure Development\n(who is always an Estate Tamil)  further\nproves this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Nationalization of Sterling Estates with land\nreforms in early 1970s followed up by the neglect of most of those estates\ndawned a welcome period of returning most of these lands in to natural forest\nas predicted by  John Still, a planter\nand an antiquarian (1930).  But that hope\nand the dream are now gone forever in the light of the ongoing land alienations\nand the settlement projects implemented by the Hill Country Village Settlements\nand Infrastructure Development programme started by the last Government under\nthe Hill Country Village and Infrastructure Development Ministry (created only\nfor Estate Tamils) with huge Indian and other foreign aid packages even going\nup to almost 8000 feet above Sea level. If\nwe fail to arrest this Indian neo-colonial invasion on the heartland of the\nmotherland of the Sinhale immediately, that will speed up the swan song of a\nonce glorious Sinhala nation and the country as a whole.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) The haphazard and wanton devastations done at\npresent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Yahapalanaya\nGovernment started a large scale housing program on this land under a Ministry\ncalled The Hill Country New Village and Infra structure Development Ministry\u201d\nunder the direction of the Indian Government funded by India and other foreign\nagencies like the Asian Development Bank. This process include house building\nand providing other infra- structure facilities like  land, roads , water  supply schemes and other facilities like\nschools, hospitals and  community\ncenters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these\nactivities involve removing the existing vegetation, (tea and forests) and\ndigging and disturbing these  highlands\nand exposing such open land to elements of weather resulting in heavy soil\nerosion and serious land degradation, landslides and gully erosion on these fragile\nand steep lands and heavy floods and river silting in the downstream lowlands\nleading to human misery there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In this backdrop, Just imagine the scale of the danger\nand the crime of Building 63,000 houses, as it is being done today, on this\nHEARTLAND of the nation on the fragile steep slopes going up to 7700 ft MSL\nhaphazardly and settling an army of Indian Tamils who consider India as their\nmotherland and have both their hearts and minds firmly rooted in India, with no\nlove what so ever for this country and are scheming to build up a Malayanadu on\nthe HEARTLAND OF THE SINHALA NATION\u201d, right at the center of this country. The\nlatest report in the press is the decision to hand over 300 acres to squatters\nin the Pidurutalagala reserve. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following\nnews item also further highlights this criminal devastation that is going on in\nthe nation\u2019s heartland<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indian\ninvasion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

India hands over\n155 houses in Bridwell, Bogawantalawa, Hatton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

25 February 2019\n00:00<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a\nspecial ceremony held on 24 February, at Bridwell Estate in Bogawantalawa,\nHatton, 155 houses built under the Indian Housing Project were handed over to\nthe beneficiaries jointly by Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe\nand High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu in the\npresence of Minister for Hill country New Villages, Infrastructure and\nCommunity Development Palani Digambaram.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information\ngiven below further shows the numerous agencies established for the benefit of\nthe plantation sector<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT<\/strong>) was first established on 18th September 1992 as the Plantation\nHousing & Social Welfare Trust (PHSWT) and incorporated in Sri Lanka under\nthe Companies Act No 17th of 1982. The Organization was later re-named as the\nPHDT on 10th Oct. 2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PHDT is a\nTripartite Organization consisting of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL),\nRegional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and Plantation Trade Unions (TU) formed by\nthe GOSL to implement social development programmes to enhance the quality of\nlife of the one million Plantation Community in the Estates managed by the\nRPCs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PHDT\nfunctions under a Board of Directors comprised of representatives from the\nGOSL, RPCs and TUs spearheaded by the Director General who is supported by\nInternal Directors, Heads of Divisions, Management and the staff attached to\nthe Main Office in Battaramulla. The Main Office team is strengthened by seven\n(7) Regional Offices located in the Plantation areas with Regional Directors,\nManagement and staff in every office to implement the many initiatives\nundertaken by the PHDT to improve the quality of life of the Estate worker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Vision Our\nMission Values Quality Policy <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Our Vision<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be the\nleading human development Organization trusted for excellence, providing\nsustainable development programs to continuously improve the quality of life in\nthe plantations\u201d        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Mission<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Integrated\nservices beneficial to plantation sector and its environs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Social\neconomic and spiritual well being<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Knowledge and\nself-confidence<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Occupational\nhealth and safety dimensions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Talents and\ncapabilities of the beneficiaries by bench marking against the best practices<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Productivity\nof the sector\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Values<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will adopt an\nopen door policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will ensure\nequity and fairness to our stakeholders<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will make\npeople feel valued and demonstrate integrity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will promote\nour team work through dedication and active listening<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will work and\nachieve our objectives as one family<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will ensure\nthe stakeholder satisfaction through our dedicated activities<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality Policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We as an\norganization facilitating services to the Plantation sector are committed to;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensure that our\norganization be customer oriented in providing a quality service and enhance\nthe quality of life in the plantations while adhering to the applicable\nguidelines and regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motivate our\nstaff by developing their skills and competencies whilst promoting teamwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use ISO\n9001:2008 standard as our guideline to continuously improve all our activities\nand function<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Available information on some of the housing projects\nis given in the table above. You will notice that some of these houses are\nbuilt on land above 7700 feet msl. Also notice how houses are built in clusters\nlike urban ghettoes where enormous social problems are bound to arise in the\nfuture<\/strong>.                                                                   \n                                                                                             <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at the way how haphazardly these projects are\ncarried out by India under the directions of Indian High  Commissioner, completely disregarding the\nlong term environmental disasters that are bound to arise both in the hill country\nand the lowlands and ignoring the authority of the Government of the country\none wonder whether the central hill country has already been vested in the\nIndian Government by the Sri Lankan Government? The Indian Government in\ncollaboration with the Tamil politicians representing the plantation areas\ndecides what land to be taken over and where the houses are to be put up and\nwhere the roads are to be constructed. Only after the completion is over the\nlocal politicians including the President, Prime Minister and the Minister of\nlands and sometimes even the Finance Minister and local Government Officials\nlike the GAA and DSS are invited just to witness how the Heartland of the\nnation is \u2018vested in the Indians\u201d and are being vandalized and destroyed by\nthese Indian elements. Looking at this crazy drama I begin to wonder whether\nthe Central Hill Country and its surroundings have already been handed over to\nIndia by the Sri Lankan Government? Also I begin to wonder whether there is a\nGovernment in this country at all concerned with the future of this Island\nnation. No one seems to be least concerned no politician or national leader and\nnot even the press about the impending ominous dangers and the disaster looming\nbefore the nation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am also greatly surprised as to why none the NGOO so\nvociferously campaigning for Wlpattuwa in the coastal low lands speak a word\nabout this wanton devastation that decides the survival of the entire life system\nand the destiny of the civilization of the whole Island, going on for decades\non the nation\u2019s HADABIMA right at the center of the Island. I kindly invite the\nimmediate attention of people like Rev Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara and national\npapers like Divayina and Mavbima to draw their immediate attention on this most\nimportant tragedy. As for me I consider this issue as the top most crisis our\ncountry is facing today. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3<\/strong> The serious consequences of this ongoing wanton destruction will have\non the physical stability of the country\u2019s HADABIMA its forest cover, water\nresources, quality of land, climate, entire life system and the civilization in\nthe Island in the long run.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The serious\nconsequences it will have on the country and it\u2019s entire life system in the\nlong run, its climate, water resources, quality of land, life system and\ncivilization are disastrous This aspect seems to have been completely ignored\nby the government in the name of a political day dream of ethnic reconciliation\nfor their illusive votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 What should be done to arrest this criminal\ndevastation and finally an Appeal to the Government and the whole nation to\nprotect it<\/strong>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should be done to arrest this criminal\ndevastation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Assuming the latitudinal position of this\nIsland and the global climatic conditions will remain unchanged and therefore\nthe annual rainfall pattern will also remain constant and the present weather\npattern will remain unchanged the above changes taking place on the hills of\nthis country has to be seriously noted as a very big threat not only to its\nfuture survival as a nation in future but also to its immediate effects on\npolitical, social and economic spheres arising from droughts, landslides,\nfloods, ethnic conflits and social tention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 What should be done to arrest this criminal national\ndevastation?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I propose the\nfollowing steps are taken immediately to arrest this national devastation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 Stop the all\nongoing land alienation, housing Projects and all infra -structure development\nactivities in the hill country in land above 3500 ft MSL immediately<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Disband the\nMinistry of Hill Country Village and Infra structure development Ministry (A\nMinistry set up only for estate Tamils, a gross discrimination against the\nnative Sinhalese and a violation of their fundamental rights and Human rights\nas well) forthwith and all other agencies such as The Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT) <\/strong>as\nthey are set up to confer special privileges to Plantation sector people of\nIndian origin as it constitutes a blatant discrimination  against the fundamental rights of the native\nSinhalese bhoomiputras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Declare\nall land above 5000 ft as strictly reserved and protected Forests and remove\nall settlements above this elevation (may be except the Nuwara Eliya Town)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Also\nremove all settlement above 3500 ft MSL and prohibit any human settlements\nabove this limit, except the Tea factories and allied buildings. The land\nbetween 3500 ft and 5000 ft msl may be confined to large scale plantations\nmanaged by State agencies such as STPC and JEDB<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 Settle\nall displaced Tamils who get qualified to be citizens of this country only under\nthe Nehru\/Koyalawala Agreement of 1954 and landless Kandyan peasants in mixed\nsettlement schemes of 2 \u00bd acre farm lots on land between 1000-3500 msl  (all other \nEnactments regarding Citizenship to these people  must be repealed forthwith)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 An appeal to the Government and the whole nation to protect\nthe HADABIMA as your heart and observe the concept of HADABIMA as a Religion and\ninclude it as a subject in school curriculum from Grade 1 in school to\nUniversity final Degree level. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the name of\nthe motherland and the Sinhala nation, I earnestly request the government and\nall those in authority to inculcate this message to every man; woman and child\nborn in this country as a top priority, lest the Heartland of the nation is\nconverted in to a sterile barren desert with no trees, no rivers, no water, no\nsoil, making the whole Island a barren sterile desert without any life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept and\nthe subject of the HADABIMA\u201d and its critical role in sustaining the entire\nlife system in this country and its civilization should also be included in\nschool curriculum as a compulsory subject from kindergartens to University Degree\nlevels in order to build up a strong nation that fully realizes the critical\nimportance of protecting the Central Hill Country for the future survival of\nthe entire life system and it\u2019s civilization of the country for posterity. This\nshould be followed by a nationwide vigorous publicity campaign to create a\nlasting awareness among its people on the crying need to protect it at any\ncost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That in essence\nis the importance I assign to the need to protect the HADABIMA of Sri Lanka,\nthe Geographical Heartland of the nation, lest it is completely destroyed\nbeyond recovery by vote hunting self-centered and unpatriotic Sinhala\npoliticians and communal minded Estate Indian Tamils who are dreaming an Indian\nMalayanadu right at the center of this country and therefore the need to\nprotect it as you protect your own heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I must very\nclearly state that this clarion call for the nation has no ethnic, religious,\nracial, linguistic or political overtones. Its prime aim is to stop this gift\nof Nature to humanity being converted to another sterile hot desert like in\nAfrica or some Middle East countries and finally to stop the extinction of\ncivilization on this legendary land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This open letter\ncalls all patriotic people to launch a vigorous nationwide agitation campaign\nto make this dream a reality in the name of posterity. This appeal is made in\nthe backdrop of the alarming manner in which the Central hill country (THE\nHADABIMA) of this Island nation is been parceled out and destroyed by a group\nof both Tamil and Sinhala shortsighted politicians who love their votes than\nthey love their country and also who have no understanding of the geography and\nthe history of this Island nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This destruction\nprogramme is carried out with explicit vicious International involvements\nheaded by India through the ongoing programme of housing and land alienation\nfor estate Tamil labour, started by the previous Government and continued by\nthe present as well. Under this programme both marginal and productive tea\nlands going up to almost 8000 feet above sea level on highly critical and\nenvironmentally sensitive area are being currently destroyed haphazardly in\nlarge scale by disturbing the mother earth to \nbuild mono-Indian Tamil villages on fragile and steep slopes without any\napproval from the CEA or the NBRO.   Few\nexamples are given below for the readers to understand the scale and magnitude\nof this destruction right at the Heartland of the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I also learn\nthat neither the Government Agents nor the Divisional Secretaries of these\nregions, who are supposed to have legal authority over crown lands within their\nDistricts and Divisions have any say beside having any control, over these land\nalienations and house construction programmes carried out, disregarding the law\nof the land. Watching this criminal devastation one begins to wonder whether\nthe nemesis of this Island nation is already come to our door steps. In\naddition to the dangers paused to the physical stability of the heartland such\nas exposing the critical lands to serious soil erosion, land degradation and\nlandslides on the upper reaches and other eminent calamities like silting of\nthe rivers and recurrent flood havocs in the downstream areas causing human\nmisery have never been evaluated..<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opinion the importance of the protection of the\nHeartland should be inculcated , I repeat, to every man and woman starting from\nthe President of the Republic to every school going child in this country if we\nwant to preserve this beautiful land for posterity. In that context the message\nof the value of this Project and its objectives should be passed down to every\nman, woman and child. I strongly believe the protection of the Hill Country,\nthe geographical HEARTLAND of the nation, is the golden key to our future\nsurvival and prosperity of this Island nation. It should be taught to everybody\nin schools and universities to be observed as a RELIGION\u201d, in this country, I\ndemand. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you will agree, more trees on the Hill country\nmeans more rain, more water, less erosion and less land degradation and better\nsoil, better physical stability with their anchoring root systems, more\nwaterfalls, more hydroelectricity, more industries and more agriculture, more\nbio diversity, more flourishing paddy fields, more food,  more people and more prosperity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the event the Government does not take immediate\naction to Protect the Island\u2019s HADABIMA as I have suggested, I predict all the\ndevastation I have outlined in this paper will begin to appear before the\npassage of another ten years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Dreams  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had three\ndreams in my youth. They were <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1To become a DRO\n– conceived at 10+10 months years<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 To marry my\nfirst love Ira conceived at 15+3 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 To develop my\nvillage with a trans-basin irrigation canal to Meemure oya from  Naranatte Ela on the other side of the hills\n(I conceived when I climbed the Kalupana peak (5341) in August 1959 and stayed\nnight on its top)  – the Head stream of\nKaluganga  on the other side of the Kalupana-Lakegala\nridge,  building two reservoirs at 1)\nDalukgolla  and 2) Wekade and two\nirrigation canals from Dalukgolla (R&L banks) and  a motorable \nroad to my village- conceived at 21 years and finally<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth\nconceived at the age of 48 years as the Director of NADSA  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 To protect the\nHADABIMA (The Central Hill Country of the Motherland) to save the entire life system\nand the civilization of my Motherland.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By now the first\ntwo have come true and the other two, still dreaming but I am, determined to be\ndone at least before I die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.            Professor Kularatnam K. (1954) The\nFace of Ceylon\u2019 9th Association of the Ceylon Advancement of Science<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.            Mackinder, H.J. Democratic Ideals\nand Reality. Washington DC. National Defense University Press 1996 Pp175-194.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.            Wikipedia, The True\nEncyclopedia-Jump to Navigation Search<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.            Huntington Samuel, Clash of\nCivilization and the Remaking of the World Order 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.            Gunasekara\nSudath. The Central Hill Country; Geographical Heartland of Sri Lanka. Concept        Paper. 1991<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.            Gunasekara Sudath Indigenous\nTechnology and Sustainability of Peasant Agriculture in Sri Lanka                                                 my        PhD Thesis <\/p>\n\n\n\n

7           Maddumabanda,  C.M. ( 1984) \u2018Mahaweliya Saha Sinhale\nHadabima\u2019  Vol.1 Mahaweli Vansaya<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara (SLAS) retired Permanent Secretary to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranayaka, \u00a0President Sri Lanka Administrative Services Association (1991-1994) and President Mahanuwara Sinhala Bauddha Jesta Puravesiyange Sanvidhanaya. Stop the wanton destruction and devastation of the HADABIMA (Central Hill Country) of the Motherland immediately and get every man, woman and child to protect it as  his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sudath-gunasekara"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99463\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}