Houses will be built sans politics - Ferial

The Srama Piyasa project is a Sramadaana oriented housing program to provide 2000 houses to homeless families in the Ampara District. Five families will be selected from each of the 400 villages included in the Program. The project encompasses eight Divisional Secretariat divisions, Lahugala, Dehiattakandiya, Padiyatalawa, Maha-oya, Eragama, Uhana, Damana and Ampara in the Ampara District.

Under the program, each beneficiary family will receive roofing sheets and Rs.10,000 to construct a house with the labour contribution of other beneficiaries. Thus the beneficiaries themselves become the pioneers of the project.

Distribution of roofing sheets and financial assistance to 1000 such beneficiary families took place at D.S. Senanayaka Vidyalaya, Ampara under the patronage of Housing and Construction Industry, Eastern Province Education and Irrigation Development Minister Ferial Ashraff recently. This was in addition to ceremonies held at Padiyatalawa Maha Vidyalaya, Dehiattakandiya Divisional Cultural Centre and Maha-oya Maha Vidyalaya to distribute roofing sheets among beneficiaries.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Ferial Ashraff stated that the "Srama Piyasa" is not a mere another housing project motivated to win votes but a project to help homeless people to build their own houses with labour shared mutually by the beneficiaries sans politics.

Eastern Provincial Education and Irrigation Director Sunil Kannangara and Housing Authority General Manager Piyal Ganepola also spoke.