In a historic development, the Attorney General yesterday (4) informed the Supreme Court that steps have been taken for the first time in 200 years, to assign postal addresses for the plantation worker community residing in the ‘Muwan Kanda’ rubber estate, in Mawathagama, Kurunegala. This marks a significant milestone as it is the first instance of providing postal addresses to plantation workers in the country.
This was informed to the Supreme Court, by Deputy Solicitor General Kanishka de Silva, representing the Attorney General during the hearing of the Fundamental Rights (FR) petition filed by Jeevaratnam Suresh Kumar, a resident of the ‘Muwan Kanda’ estate in Mawathagama, requesting the Supreme Court to issue a directive to the State to provide postal addresses to the plantation workers.
The petition was heard before the three-Judge Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, A.H.M.D. Nawaz, and Arjuna Obeysekera.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Lakshan Dias, explained that the petition aimed to provide postal addresses to the entire estate workers’ community across the island. He acknowledged the time required for such an extensive task and appreciated the government’s efforts to address the long-standing issue faced by the plantation workers.
Deputy Solicitor General Kanishka de Silva emphasised that providing postal addresses for the entire plantation community nationwide is a time-consuming programme. He mentioned that government officials are diligently working to gather information for this task, requiring additional time.
Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya noted that this initiative marks a historic moment for the plantation workers, spanning over 200 years and expressed satisfaction over addressing their need for postal addresses.
The Chief Justice informed the petitioner’s lawyer that, considering the fulfillment of the relief sought, the hearing of the petition would be adjourned. However, he mentioned that if the petitioner wishes to inquire about the progress after six or nine months, they have the option to bring the petition back to Court and seek an update on the activities’ progress.