Crash programme to rebuild conflict ravaged East: top priority for housing

COLOMBO: The Government is involved in a crash programme to develop the East, especially in the Batticaloa district under the Negenahira Navodaya programme. Under this plan priority will be given to help the internally displaced and underprivileged to build permanent houses.

Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Minister Abdul Risath Bathiyutheen said President Mahinda Rajapaksa has shown a keen interest in developing the liberated East.

He said Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa and his ministry are working out development proposals for a crash development programme in the East to be developed within six months.

The Minister said the main focus of the crash programme will be to build houses, assist displaced fisher folk and farmers to restart their livelihood. Farmers will be provided seeds, manure and pesticides and fisher folk with fishing gear.

Bathiyutheen said priority will be given to thousands of underprivileged people in the East who have been houseless. He said thousands of families are internally displaced and they left their temporary cadjan shelters due to the conflict and natural calamities. They have been living in refugee centres for years.

Most IDPs have no home to return to, he said. The Minister said the Government has decided to help these underprivileged people with permanent houses. He said the Government has decided to give Rs.250,000 per family to build permanent houses.

The Government has decided to assist the building of nearly 7,000 houses and give preference to build permanent houses in Vavunathievu, Vellaveli, Pattipalai and Vaharai in the Batticaloa district. Bathiyutheen said Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya has visited Trincomalee and Ampara districts and was making arrangements to build an effective administrative infrastructure in the East.

Priority will be given to restore civil administration in the Eastern Province within 180 days, Jayasuriya said.

“The establishment of all Divisional Secretariats in the Province without any shortcomings will be my first move,” he said. There will no racial, religious or political party biases in carrying out development work under the Negenahira Navodaya programme.

The Minister made these observations after considering the ideas of the representatives of religious and civil society groups of the Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts during his fact finding mission under the direction of President Rajapaksa. Highways and Road Development Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle is working on the important roads and other infrastructure needs in the East, Bathiyutheen said.

Asian Tribune