Land Hustle

Abeywardene said such procedures required a new law to be passed.

"We want to clear up problems facing an investor in three months," deputy economic development minister Lakshaman Yapa Abeywardene said.

"Transfering state land is one such problem.

He said a recent report by a ministerial committee headed by investment promotions minister Sarath Amunugama had identified land allocations as a key problem.

The final transfer of state land was held up for months due to procedural delays at provincial and local government level.

"We want these transfers to be completed in two weeks," minister Abeywardene said. "If there are complex issues they should be completed in three months.