Housing mobile service provides immediate solutions to problems of Hambantota

The mobile service, conducted by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) on July 25th at Nimbarama Sri Gunananda Pirivena in Hambantota, was able to give immediate solutions to around 1000 problems out of 2100 problems brought by the general public including tsunami-affected families in the Hambantota district.

For this mobile service, headed by NHDA Chairman, Parakrama Karunaratne, officials from its Head Office and Hambantota District Office Participated.Karunaratne addressing the gathering at the commencement of the mobile service said, "It is the village community who should be the ultimate beneficiaries of development programmes implemented by the governments. In order to ensure that the benefits of development are reaching the village, it is important that policy makers and government officials visit the villages.

The NHDA was among the pioneers who practised the concept of mobile services in the nineteen eighties. With instructions from Minister of Housing & Construction Industry, Eastern Province Education & Irrigation Development, Ms. Ferial Ashraff we re-commenced the mobile service programme of which the second phase is held today at Hambantota. Our aim through this programme is to resolve and settle the issues related to our district housing programme on today itself as far as possible and the matters which are compounded to be resolved within a given target date." To coincide with the mobile service around 300 low-income house building families were granted roofing sheets to the value of about Rs. 05 million under the 'Sevana Piyasa' programme of NHDA.

Housing loans and financial grants amounting to Rs. 06 million were also disbursed at the mobile service while transfer deeds were given to fifty families in NHDA housing schemes. A remarkable feature at this mobile service was the repayment of monthly loan instalments amounting to around Rs. 150,000 by the loan recipients in the area. According to NHDA, services to the value of Rs. 64 million were provided to the beneficiary communities in Hambantota district on the day of mobile service.

For this event the Additional District Secretary, Hambantota, Mahinda Manawadu, NHDA General Manger, Piyal Ganepola and Deputy General Managers of NHDA, Messrs. Amarasinghe K. Jinadasa, Wasantha Wijeratne, Nimal Chandrasiri, NHDA District Manager, Hambantota W. J. W. Dias and several other government officials participated.