Religious unity shelters Telwatta tsunami displaced

TELWATTA: The joint benevolence of the temple and church has constructed houses for the tsunami displaced in Telwatta, Hikkaduwa, restoring their normal day-to-day life and hope.

The housing complex that came up in tsunami devastated land of Telwatta owing to the Telwatta Raja Maha Viharaya and The World Baptist Community, will be vested in the people under the auspices of Southern Province Governor Kingsley T. Wickremaratne and Chief Minister Shan Vijayalal de Silva at 03.00 p.m. today. The World Baptist Community spent Rs. 76 million for the construction work.

The affected were settled down in temporary houses and the basic infrastructure facilities were partially restored in the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe.

The majority of victims in the Telwatta area were Sinhala Buddhists and took refuge in the Telwatta Raja Maha Viharaya. The provision of permanent houses to the displaced was a serious concern of the Viharadhipathi Ven. Pituwala Sumana Nayaka Thera who looked out for a land in the close proximity to rehabilitate the displaced. He came across an eight acre bare land in the neighbourhood which he bought with a Rs. 5.6 million aid extended by the Christian NGO.

The Buddhist Christian benevolence enabled Ven. Sumana Thera to bring out this Ampegama Baptist Gammanaya, consisting three roomed houses with basic facilities such as electricity and pipe borne water for 72 displaced Buddhist families in the Telwatta area.

Each house unit has a garden area of 10 perches in addition to a common environmental friendly forestry area. Improvement of infrastructure facilities, two storeyed new building to Ampegama Mahavidyalaya, a science laboratory and a Buddhist Religious Centre are among other facilities that the Baptist Community expect to provide.

Project Director of the Housing Scheme Father Fredie de Alwis of the World Baptist Community speaking of the project said that this project is dedicated to their cause of International Religious Co-existence and the project has so far cost Rs. 76 million.