Houses for war veterans

Rasika Somarathna

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday handed over to war veterans, 32 houses built in the Galle district, constructed under the fifth stage of the Api Wenuven Api housing project, being implemented throughout the country.

The President symbolically presented a house constructed at Kapuhenpola in Akmeemana in the Galle district to war hero B.P.M. Gunasekara. Later, at a ceremony at Nandimithra Vidyalaya, Kapuhenpola, the ownership of the houses were vested with the rest of the war heroes. They were also given household equipment. The President also handed over educational supplies among 198 students of the school.

Under the fifth stage of the housing project, houses were handed over to 26 service personnel from the Sri Lanka Army, four from the Air Force and two from the Navy. War veterans in the Kandy, Kurunegala, Matara, Hambantota, Badulla and Monaragala districts have already received houses under this programme.

The Api Wenuwen Api housing project which aims to provide houses to service personnel, is being implemented by the Seva Vanitha Unit of the Defence Ministry.

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody, Ministers Piyasena Gamage and Gunaratne Weerakoon, Southern Province Governor Kumari Balasuriya, Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal de Silva, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, MPs Nishantha Muthuhettigama, Manusha Nanayakkara, Romesh Pathirana, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunge, Defence Ministry Seva Vanitha Unit chairperson Ayoma Rajapaksa, schoolchildren and family members of the tri-forces service personnel also participated.