Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan yesterday said there were serious concerns relating to the initiative to construct 65,000 houses for conflict-affected families in the North and East , raised repeatedly by a wide ranging group of civil society activists, professionals and politicians, that cannot be ignored
While commending the government’s position that the housing needs of the people in the war torn areas in the North and the East should be addressed, the Opposition Leader said serious concern had been raised over the report by experts of the University of Moratuwa on the suitability of the steel houses.
In a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena and Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, consequent to a unanimous decision of the TNA parliamentary group to drawn his attention, the Opposition Leader said:
"I write consequent to a unanimous decision of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentary Group to raise very serious concerns in respect of the above matter."
"The housing needs of the North and East are indeed dire. It is estimated that 137,000 houses are necessary to meet the housing needs of the North and the East following the devastation of the war. This issue must be addressed. The TNA thus welcomes the Government’s recognition of this, and its resolve to initiate a project to provide housing for conflict affected families. However, the serious concerns relating to the initiative in question repeatedly raised by a wide ranging group of civil society activists, professionals, and politicians cannot be ignored. This includes the recent report of experts of the University of Moratuwa on the suitability of the abovementioned steel houses. Following are some of the primary concerns that have been raised:
a) Concerns relating to the tender process selecting Arcellor-Mittal Construction France
Several concerns have been raised with regard to irregularities in the abovementioned tender process. Of particular concern is the fact that the decision to award the contract to the abovementioned company seems to have been made long before the tender process even commenced, as far back as August 2015.
b) Concerns relating to the durability of the houses
Several concerns have been raised in this regard. Experts state that the proposed prefabricated houses will not last for more than 10 years. Indeed, the model houses of this scheme which were erected recently have already – in a matter of a few weeks – started coming apart.
For the conflict affected communities in the North and East, a house is not merely a means of shelter, but an inextricable part of their culture. A house passes down from generation to generation; parents build a house with the hope of one day giving it to their children. For the Tamil People, a house is thus part of one’s culture, history and heritage, and is expected to last for several generations. Thus, these concerns relating to durability are a matter of especially great concern.
c) The environmental unsuitability of the proposed houses
The proposed houses are to be built of steel, instead of brick. This makes the houses extremely unsuitable for a tropical country like Sri Lanka. This is particularly so given the rapidly rising temperature and humidity levels.
d) The cost of each house:
Under the present scheme, the cost of each house is estimated to be Rs. 2.1. million. This is 2-3 times more than the more environmentally suitable, durable, permanent brick house provided under the Indian housing scheme which provided 50,000 houses in the North. This fact is of greater concern in a context where the housing need exceeds 130,000 and the Government is offering 65,000 - half of that number.
e) Implementation of the said construction project (employing local labour)"
It said the TNA strongly recommended the government undertake a review of the initiative in question, and properly address all of the above concerns in implementing this, or any other initiative to address issues in the North and East.
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