Web of Life

He said: "In 1996 the then government headed by the President gave the management control of the State Plantation Corporation to private companies under the Public Enterprise Reforms Commission (PERC). In that there is a clause that companies can only engage in agriculture-related activities and not in any mining activities. During the UNF government's tenure private companies constantly made representations to get permission to engage in gem mining, which were turned down. Now the government is going to permit these companies to engage in gem mining threatening the employment of over one million workers engaged in the industry in the Ratnapura district".

He pointed out that ever since the gem mining industry started in the 18th century, these plantations belonging to the government were kept untouched.