IDP centres ready for monsoon

Resettlement process satisfactory:

Rafik Jalaldeen and Hiran Senewiratna

More than 80 percent of the construction of the drainage system has been completed at the Internally Displaced Centres to face the monsoon rain and avoid inconvenience and misery to the IDPs. Addressing the Media at the President Secretariat yesterday, Humans Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said the process of resettling the IDPs in their homes has been satisfactory.

Around 10,593 IDPs were resettled in their original places.

Meanwhile, a total number of 22,668 IDPs was released from different IDP camps .

"These IDPs were released on the basis of medical need, humanitarian considerations, people over 60 year old, court orders, foreign visa holders, university students, pregnant mothers, religious leaders, foster families etc," he added.

Minister Samarasinghe noted that another 19,625 IDPs have been reunited with their families as part of the family reunion project launched by the Government.

"The Government is also in the process of rehabilitating 9,818 former LTTE combatants who were arrested from the IPD camps and surrendered to the Security Forces. They will be rehabilitated with the assistance of several organizations," he added. He asserted that it is important to focus on the IDPs misery at this conjuncture particularly how to face the monsoon in the coming three months.

The Government has taken rapid action to overcome the difficulties and misery of the IDPs at the camps during the monsoon.

The Government with the assistance of the UN agencies has completed around 80 percent of the work on the drainage systems. The Government ensures safety and convenience of the IDPs. "This is a significant achievement of the Government to construct 80 percent of the drainage systems within a short period of time anticipating many difficulties the IDPs will go through during the monsoon. The rest of the drainage system will be constructed within a week.

This will prevent waters overflowing to their tents and causing a flood-like situation," he added.

The construction of drainages has been implemented at all IDP camps.

He said that a massive amount of work had been carried out at the IDP centres and he was confident that there will not be any problem at the IDP camps.

"There are many programs in place and the tasks will be carried out as they were planned," Minister Samarasinghe remarked.