Over 80 p.c. tsunami victims resettled

MOHAMMED NAALIR

The Government has resettled over eighty per cent tsunami victims within three years all over the country under the tsunami resettlement and rehabilitation programme, Coordinating Director to the President on Post Tsunami Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Affairs Shanthi Fernando said yesterday.

Addressing the media at the Government Information Department Fernando said the Government has taken responsibility to construct 4,000 houses throughout the country which were promised by the NGOs but they refrained from constructing the houses.

In addition Fernando pointed out that 8,865 families are still staying in 58 welfare camps throughout the country. They too will be resettled shortly.

Due to the tsunami catastrophe, 33,917 housing units in Southern Province, 6,196 housing units in Western province, 60,771 housing units in Eastern Province and 16,488 housing units in Northern province were destroyed.

The construction of 21,889 housing units is progressing.

Fernando said that although the International NGOs promised to confer US$ 3,402 million for post tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction programme, they donated only US$ 1,093 million for infrastructure development, education, health, housing development.

She said compensation to construct a house for a tsunami victim family has been increased from Rupees 500,000 to Rs. 700,000.

She expressed confidence that the Colombo tsunami housing development project would be completed by May 2008. The remaining tsunami victims in Trincomalee and Batticaloa district will be resettled under the Neganahira Navodhaya programme.

Addressing the media the Secretary to the Nation Building Ministry Secretary W.K.Kumarasiri said that tsunami caused heavy damage to the economy, crippling the development of the country.

He said with the assistance of the Government, Foreign NGOs, and foreign Governments they could overcome these losses to a considerable extent.

He said a number of tsunami victims in Ampara District are still housed in welfare camps. The shortage of land was the prime reason for the delay of housing construction.

Addressing the media Ampara AGA U.L.A. Aseez said that Rs.6,000 million have been spent to rehabilitate the education sector of Ampara district after the tsunami.