During the period of the Sinhala Kings, all lands belonged to the King and ownership of lands depended on possessing and enjoying same. These were hereditary lands. Lands were disposed under Nindagam, Viharagam etc.
The ownership of lands was thus prevalent, when Sri Lanka became a colony under the British in 1815 and the implementation of the Arid Lands Act of 1897, made changes in the Ordinance introduced in 1840, regarding unauthorized occupation of Crown Lands. With the implementation of this Act, a major portion of lands available in Sri Lanka became Crown Lands and with this a large number of native people of Sri Lanka who were enjoying lands by way of hereditary, lost their rights for lands.
Later, with the advent of the Dhonoughmor Constitution in 1931, which gave semi independence status, the need to provide lands to those native people who lost their lands arose. In 1935, The Land Development Ordinance was introduced to administer and conserve lands and The Land Commissioner’s Department was set up to create the administrative structure needed to administer and conserve lands as envisaged by the said Ordinance. During that period, matters pertaining to lands were administered by the Government Agent, based on a centralized plan.
With the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, Provincial Councils administration became operational, and the centralized plan to administer lands, which were hitherto effective, underwent a change. Inter Provincial Irrigation and Land Development Schemes came under the direct administration of the State while the Provincial Councils administered the rest of the lands. Accordingly, all major Colonization Schemes and Development Schemes which extended a Provincial Council were treated as Inter Provincial Land Development Schemes and came under the direct administration of the State’s Land Commissioner’s Department.
Later, on a Cabinet Memorandum dated 2004.09.05 the Land Commissioner’s Department was upgraded and came to be known as the Land Commissioner General’s Department, effective 2004.09.15
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