Japan grants Rs. 8 b for tsunami rehabilitation

COLOMBO: The Government of Japan has provided Rs. 08 Billion under the Japanese Non Project Grant Aid Scheme for tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in Sri Lanka.

Among these development activities special attention is focused on providing housing facilities for tsunami displaced families, said Yuji Miyahara, First Secretary of Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka at the ceremonial inauguration of 'Iqbal Nagar' tsunami housing project recently. This project was funded by the Government of Japan under the Japanese Friendship Village Programme with the assistance of Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA).

Within 'Iqbal Nagar' housing scheme, 246 housing units will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 440 million. In addition another 380 housing units will be constructed in 'Konesapury' housing project at a cost of Rs. 300 million with the assistance of Japanese government. Each of these houses with 02 bed rooms, living and dining room, kitchen and verandah is to be constructed on 560 sq.ft. in 10 perch block of land.

The implementation of the housing development activities and providing of infrastructure facilities such as electricity and pipe borne water are also be provided with the co-ordination of the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA).

The construction work of these housing projects were commenced after unveiling the plaque by First Secretary to the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka, Yuji Miyahara, Secretary to the Ministry of Housing & Construction, P. Veerahandi and Chairman of NHDA, Mohamed Rafeek.

After the inauguration of these housing projects, Yuji Miyahara said "Housing is considered a basic need and very essential in terms of restoring the lives of the people affected and bringing back normalcy in the areas affected.

Therefore, the Government of Japan in consultation with the government of Sri Lanka allocated grant funds for the construction two friendship villages in Trincomalee district and one friendship village in Ampara district.

A sum of Rs. 441 billion have been allocated for these villages as a whole and these grant funds are part of Rs. eight billion provided under Japan's Non-Project Grant Aid Scheme for tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in Sri Lanka.

The people and the government of Japan hope that the houses provided will enable the families to engage in their livelihood matters as before and that the facilities provided will be made use of so as to improve the living status of all the people in the area."

The Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Construction, P. Veerahandi said "The people of Japan are one of the most efficient and law abiding people in whole world.

The Japanese women are one of the efficient sections in their societies. Now the time has reached to enable women to take with the equal place with the men in participating the development work such as housing and other activities.

The assistance and the participatory approach are very essential to complete these types of housing programmes".

Chairman NHDA, Mohamed Rafeek, Additional District Secretary of Trincomalee, K.M. Amaratunga and Trincomalee NHDA District Manager, N. Thirikumar also spoke at this function.

Ueshima Takumi, Resident Representative of JICA and senior officials of Japan International Co-operation System (JICS) and officials of the Ministry of Housing and Construction and NHDA and members of householder families in these housing projects participated in this function.