Surveyor General of Sri Lanka is the head of Department of Survey of Sri Lanka. The post was established on 2 August 1800 with the formation of the Surveyor General's Department by a proclamation of Governor Frederick North at Galle.
Joseph Jonville was appointed as the Colonial Surveyor General, residing principally in Colombo and receiving orders directly from the government. Under him five principal surveyors were appointed and the land divided among them in the following manner. "One shall superintend the survey from the River of Chilaw to the Calanie Ganga, one from the Calanie Ganga to the River of Galle, one from the River of Galle to the North Easterly extremity of the Mahagampatto: to the Northern extremity of the District of Mulletivoe, and the remaining one from the Northern extremity of the District of Mulletivoe to the River of Chilaw, and shall be thus distinguished, the Surveyor of Negombo, of Colombo, of Matara, of Trincomalee, of Jaffna-Patam."
The post of Surveyor General was often combined with that of Civil Engineer and Commissioner of Roads. The department, during the first fifty years, was mainly engaged in the survey of scattered allotments of land for sale to private parties. The first title plan was issued by the new department on 20 August 1800 surveyed by C. Schneider.
The current Surveyor General is W. Sudath L. C. Perera.
List of Surveyors General No.Surveyor GeneralTook officeLeft office 1st Joseph Jonville 2 August 1800 1805 2nd George Atkinson 1805 1811 3rd Gualterus Schneider 1811 1833 4th Francis Brooke Norris 1833 1846 5th William Henry Simms 1846 1854 6th William Driscoll Gosset 1855 1858 7th Charles Sims 1858 1865 8th Amelius Beauclerk Fyers 1866 1883 9th Francis Coningsby Hannam Clarke 1883 1893 10th David George Mantell 1894 1896 11th Frederick Grinlinton 1896 1904 12th Philip David Warren 1904 1910 13th Robert Stanser Templeton 1910 1915 14th Walter Culpepper Stanser Ingles 1915 1923 15th Arthur Joseph Wickwar 1923 1927 16th Arthur Harry Gerald Dawson 1927 1932 17th George Kraal Thornhill 1932 1937 18th Lionel Gilbert Ollyett Woodhouse 1937 1943 19th R. J. Johnston 1943 1946 20th Ian Froome Wilson 1946 1951 21st G. B. King 1951 1954 22nd N. S. Perera 1954 1958 23rd V. Rasaretnam 1958 1961 24th J. L. T. E. Dassenaike 1961 1961 25th S. Karthigesu 1961 1965 26th J. C. Chanmugam 1965 1966 27th F. H. Gunasekara 1966 1967 28th P. U. Ratnatunga 1967 1968 29th C. T. Goonawardana 1968 1970 30th C. Vanniasingam 1970 1971 31st R. A. Gunawardana 1971 1973 32nd A. M. Cumaraswamy 1973 1973 33rd S. J. Munasinghe 1973 1981 34th S. D. F. C. Nanayakkara 1981 1989 35th S. T. Herat 1989 1991 36th E. M. Perera 1991 1991 37th Thamotharam Somasekaram 1991 1992 38th S. Berugoda 1992 1993 39th N. C. Seneviratne 1993 1996 40th M. P. Salgado 1996 1996 41st K. L. A. Ranasinghe Silva 1996 2003 42nd P. A. Ariyaratne 2003 2004 43rd B. J. P. Mendis 2004 2009 44th S. M. W. Fernando 2009 2013 45th Kanagaratnam Thavalingam 2013 March 2014 46th Nihal Gunawardena March 2014 May 2014 47th Palitha Udayakantha 30 May 2014 March 2019 48th S. M. P. P. Sangakkara March 2019 February 2020 49th S. D. P. J. Dampegama February 2020 February 2020 50th A. L. S. C. Perera February 2020 May 2021 May 51st W.T.M.S.B.Tennakoon June 2021 November 2021 52nd A. Dissanayake December 2021 December 2022 53rd S. Sivanantharajah January 2023 August 2023 54th W. Sudath L. C. Perera September 2023 January 2024 55th U.K.S.P.Wijesingha January 2025 January 2025 56th Y.G.Gnanathilaka January 2025 up to now
References
External links Survey Department of Sri Lanka