Individual houses for Estate workers

UPFA Presidential Candidate Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has pledged to build separate new houses under the Jana Sevana' project for plantation workers who are living in shanties and huts and not in estate 'line rooms.

He gave this pledge at a meeting of estate 'kanganis' (labour supervisors) held at Temple Trees on Thursday, November 3.

Under this new scheme 50,000 houses would be built and blocks of land of 7 perches each would be given free to workers to build houses after scrapping the scheme under which they have to wait for 20 years to claim ownership of the land. This has already been promised in the UPFA manifesto 'Mahinda Chintana.' The PM said that immediate steps would be taken to upgrade 400 estate schools as part of the UPFA policy to raise educational standards in the plantation sector.

He told the gathering that it was every child's right to higher education and a better job. As politicians it was their task to protect that right.

Steps would also be taken to appoint 3000 educated young people as teachers to meet the shortage of teachers in the plantation areas, according to the premier. Plans have been drawn up to train them at the Sri Pada Educational Institute after making it a fully equipped establishment. In addition, 2500 GCE (AL) qualified young people would be recruited as development communication assistants.

Moves would be made to improve medical and hospital services in the plantations and raise health and nutritional standards among the estate community. The century-old postal service system in the plantation areas would undergo a radical change under a UPFA Government and arrangements would be made to have letters delivered to the houses of estate workers on a daily basis.

The Prime Minister urged the kanganis to join hands in building a new world and assured them that they could go a long way after making the right choice on November 17.