Houses for services personnel

POLONNARUWA: The construction of 50,000 houses for the services personnel will be a high priority agenda included in the Mahinda Chinthana.

A media release issued by the centre for National Security - Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order said.

The defence Secretary wasted no time in putting the President's ideas contained in the Mahinda Chinthana into action by making swift arrangement to provide a modern type of housing programme to alleviate the housing problem of the three Forces.

The programme's second stage came to effect at Welikanda in the Polonnaruwa Mahaweli System B area belonging to the Mahaweli Authority to erect 1,000 houses. A loan will be provided to build houses depending on their income ranging from Rs. 600,000 to Rs. 1.5 million.

The new village will include all the facilities and amenities with the basic infrastructure to function efficiently. Services personnel will have to complete their houses within two years. Those who owned land too will be entitled to the same scheme.

A new financial package jointly with the HDFC Bank and the Government will help the security personnel to seek a housing loan at a negotiated special interest rate only at four per cent and monthly repayments of the loan to be directly connected to applicant's salary and the pension.

The loan period can be extended up to 70 years.

The MOD in collaboration with Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahaweli Ministry, Minister Maitripala Sirisena will hand over the title deeds of the allocated lands for the houses on November 18 in Polonnaruwa to mark the President's first anniversary.

The President has decided to give these lands to the soldiers free of charge to upgrade the living conditions of soldiers and the entire social structure with modern hospital facilities, schools, banks, post offices and an effective transportation.