Organization and gathered information from the Civil Society organization called Asarthaka Uma Oya Viyapruthiyen Peedawata Path Janatha Ekamutuwa Organization. The Commission convened a few meetings with government officials, Civil Society representatives, other stakeholders and affected villagers of the area on 6 and 7 th March 2015. The Additional District Secretary, Badulla, Divisional Secretary of Bandarawela Divisional Secretariat, Divisional Secretary Ella Divisional Secretariat, local politicians and a representative of the Uma Oya project participated in the government officers meeting. Following that the HRCSL representatives visited affected villages, met villagers and visited affected houses, ground water sources, schools and villagers of Heeloya and Palleperuva in Ella Divisional Secretariat and Makulella, Egodagama and Weheragalathenna in Bandarawela Divisional Secretariat, and held a meeting with representatives of Asarthaka Uma Oya Viyapruthiyen Peedawata Path Janatha Ekamutuwa and religious leaders of the area. On 29th June 2015 the team from the HRCSL returned to Bandarawela, met officials and affected villagers of the area and documented the situation. Before the second visit to Bandarawela, the Commission conducted close monitoring of relief services to the villages. After the meeting the HRCSL team presented the grievances of the villagers to government officials. 4.5. Rights of Indigenous people in Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka due to accelerated development projects, indigenous people have left their traditional lands and relocated to new Mahaweli lands. They received benefits from the Mahaweli project and have had to leave their hunter - gatherer mode of existence and instead have had to become cultivators/farmers. According to the Report of Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people of 1 November 2007, ‘development projects, plantation leases, logging concessions, and the establishment of protected area have been major forces in the increasing loss of indigenous land, leading to massive displacement of 36