Estate workers given equal status in society through housing - Estate Housing Minister

"The estate worker community who had enormously contributed to the Sri Lankan economy for more than hundred years were living in line rooms with little basic facilities. The Government has taken steps to provide them with the ownership of two storeyed houses with all utility services while recognizing their equal social status with any other community. Our objective is to raise their living standards to enable them to contribute more productivity for the estates", said Minister of Estate Housing and Community Development, Muttusivalingam at the opening of a housing project for estate workers at Watawala Estate recently.

This project which was implemented at a cost of Rs. 27 million under the programme of the Ministry of Estate Housing and Community Development to convert estate line rooms into apartments was constructed by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA).

Muttusivalingam said: "In May 2003 due to heavy rains and earthslips, around 90 line rooms on the Watawala Estate were destroyed. The Government at the request of Ministry took action to provide assistance to the tune of Rs. 300,000 per family. The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare provided Rs. 100,000 while our Ministry provided a grant of Rs. 100,000 and a long-term interest free loan of another Rs. 100,000.

The workers, whose line rooms were without even the basic facilities, are today accommodated in two storeyed houses with all basic facilities. This programme is being successfully implemented by the NHDA. We do not confine ourselves to housing as far as the estate employees are concerned. Ceylon Workers' Congress, Arumugan Thondaman has made arrangements with the Government to provide opportunities in the teaching profession to estate youth who have GCE (A/L) qualifications.

Nuwara Eliya District Parliamentarian, S. Jegatheswaran, Education Minister of the Central Provincial Council, B. Radhakrishnan, NHDA Chairman Parakrama Karunaratne and several officials were present.