Housing scheme for Upper Kotmale families

Wasantha Ramanayake

KOTMALE: Around 500 families displaced due the construction of the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Station and the reservoir will be resettled within the next two months under the instructions of Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne, a ministry official told the Daily News yesterday.

The construction of the housing scheme had already begun at the Holyrood Estate, Ranilakelle, Thalawakelle.

The Ministry will provide four types of houses ranging from 600-1500 sq.feet.

The Minister who inspected the site last week instructed the authorities to expedite construction and hand them over to the families within the next two months.

The initial construction of the project started on March 3. This includes common facilities such as schools, playgrounds and a shopping complex. The second phase of the project will commence in

October with the construction of the tunnel.

The Upper Kotmale power station when commissioned will provide the national grid with 528 GW annually.

Minister Seneviratne said that Sri Lanka should look for alternative power sources since hydropower sources were limited.