Rehabilitation begins:

Home, sweet home after 25 years

The first phase of resettling the 200 Sinhalese families living in the vicinity of the Madhu Shrine, Mannar District began Monday on Resettlement Minister Milroy Fernando’s direction. These families were ordered out of their homes and the area by the LTTE in 1985. They were not allowed to take their possessions from their homes by the terrorists and were compelled to live with their relations, a Ministry release said yesterday.

The Minister formally started the de-mining process and clearing the area where the Sinhalese families were living.

Most homes were covered with weeds and trees as they had been abandoned for the past 25 years and were in a decrepit state. The titles of the lands of these displaced families were identified by Mannar and Anuradhpura District Secretariat officials.

The infrastructure development including roads of the area and houses of the displaced families will be repaired or reconstructed. All families will be resettled within the next two months, Minister Fernando said.

The press release said they will be given assistance to restart their former livelihood like agriculture and fishery by providing agricultural implements, seed and fertilizer and fishing gear and equipment for the fishermen.