Houses for 10,500 plantation families

COLOMBO: The Government is investing Rs. 1,250 million to provide housing facilities to plantation workers in 2006. Under the guidance of the Estate Infrastructure and Livestock Development Ministry, the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) will implement the estate housing programme in 13 districts.

This programme has implemented 599 housing projects in Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Kandy, Matale, Ratnapura, Galle, Kurunegala, Moneragala, Kegalle, Matara, Kalutara, Puttalam and Colombo districts. Under the project 10,530 housing units will be constructed in 2006. Up to July 31, 8,534 housing units were completed.

The programme's main objective is to uplift the living conditions of the plantation workers by providing housing facilities with re-development of line rooms and construction of new houses and two storeyed houses.

The Ministry of Estate Infrastructure and Livestock Development will provide a Rs. 100,000 loan to each plantation worker family through the NHDA. The Plantation Trust Fund will provide the building material as a grant.

The entire programme will be implemented in plantation areas under several sub programmes. The self - help housing programme is one of the key sub programmes. Under this programme, 4,400 housing units are to be constructed in 2006. A special programme will be implemented to re-roof the present line rooms and within this year it has been targeted to re-roof 1,747 line rooms.

Two storeyed houses and twin houses will be constructed within the estate premises and 613 housing units will be constructed. In addition 8,170 housing units will be constructed under different sub housing projects in the estate sector with NHDA technical assistance.