SLMANA funded tsunami housing scheme opened

PAYAGALA: The Sri Lanka Medical Association of North America Eastern Region (SLMANA) which comprises Lankan professionals, living in the USA funded for a tsunami housing project at Payagala South in the Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha area.

The land known as Godellegedara Watte was gifted by the Government. The houses are ideally located to suit the fishing community as it is on top of a hill overlooking the ocean.

This housing project named Long Island Fishing Village consisting of 40 houses, designed and built by Better Homes and Gardens Kotugoda (Pvt) Ltd., at a cost of 20 million was handed over on September 7 to the fishing community by Foreign Employment Promotion Minister and Deputy Minister of Posts and Telecommunication Rohitha Abeygunawardena.

Andrew Silva of RADA Kalutara Assistant Government Agent Jayalal the Pradeshiya Sabha Vice Chairman and other members of the Local Authorities participated at the event.

Each house consisting two bedrooms, a living and dining room, bathroom, kitchen is 500 sq ft and has been built using Teak timber for door and window frames, Mahogany timber for window slashes and Hora timber for the roof.

The roof is of calicut tiles.

Minister Rohitha Abegunawardena at the opening said "the housing scheme was the best tsunami housing project launched in the district to-date. He further added that those houses were well built and consisted of all facilities that one requires to lead a decent life."

He said the Government too had incurred expenses for this tsunami housing project. Rupees two million was spent to provide electricity, six hundred and fifty thousand rupees for water service and the land had to be acquired at a cost of Rs. 8 million.

The Kalutara GA and AGA addressing the gathering endorsed the minister's statement that the Long Island Fishing Village is the best tsunami housing project completed in the district and they thanked the donors for gifting these houses to the fishing community.