Posted on March 8th, 2021
KAMALIKA PIERIS
Philip Gunawardena is best
remembered for the
Paddy Lands Act of
1958. The main objective of this Act was to provide security of tenure of a
permanent and heritable nature and regulate the rents paid by tenants. However
its implementation was flawed owing to administrative deficiencies, observed
Nimal Sanderatne.
The first Paddy Lands Bill was
passed in 1953 under the UNP. It was a limited attempt at tenancy reform and
was focused on Hambantota and Batticaloa alone. Under this Bill, tenant and
owner should sign an agreement, valid for 5 years. Philip found that in
Hambantota, only two such agreements had been signed. Landlords avoided written leases. Without