All facilities for resettled families

Hathoon SHERIFFDEEN

COLOMBO: Agricultural apparatus, seed material, fertiliser, agro-chemicals and fishing gear are arranged to generate employment for the families resettled to their native places in Vellavely and Pattipola.

The Government provided Rs. 25,000 per family to start their livelihoods, Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Rishard Bathiudeen said.

“These subsidies are given to theses families to stabilise a normal livelihood and establish themselves. Nearly Rs. 30,000 worth of cadjan per family had been given for houses damaged by wild elephants,” the Minister said.

“Resettlement and Disaster Management Minister’s records show that 15,194 families are resettled in Vellavely and Pattipola as at June 28. The total population of 49,481 is covered under this project,” the Minister said.

The Government had spent Rs. 36 million for each area to distribute dry rations to the returnees, Bathiudeen said.

The Government has made arrangements to fulfil the basic needs and infrastructure facilities to these returnees on a regular basis.

Cooked meals, dry rations, kitchen utensils and cloths are provided to them to ease their burdens during the initial stages of the resettlement, he said. Several ministers also visited these areas and pledged to develop infrastructure.

Public adminstration, co-operative, health, irrigation, education services, fisheries, livestock development, highway and road development and estate management development ministers are in this panel of ministers, Bathiudeen said.

“Co-operative shops have been opened for the benefit of villagers in Vellavely. Power supply has also been restored and schools are given tables and chairs. We also provided school uniforms to children in the area,” he said.