Upon the request made by Megapolis and Western Development Ministry, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has tabled a proposal to the Cabinet concerning loan facilities for those willing to purchase apartments in middle-income housing schemes, Minister Patali Champaka Ranawaka said on Wednesday.
The Minister was speaking at a ceremony to hand over the ‘Lake Crest Residencies’ housing complex in Mulleriyawa, to the public. The ceremony was held under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena.
Minister Ranawaka, speaking on the middle-income housing scheme projects, said that most of the targetted group cannot afford these apartments without obtaining loans. “These people have to keep a deposit with the UDA when purchasing a house. They have to pay the balance separately for which they need to obtain a loan. However, these families cannot meet the conditions put forward by the banks when applying for a loan. So at the end of the day, they cannot purchase these apartments,” he said.
“I would like to request President Maithripala Sirisena’s intervention in the matter.” Minister Ranawaka said. There are 300,000 families without permanent housing facilities.
He also said that the government plans to create a village for artists with housing and other infrastructure facilities in Piliyandala, under the patronage of Speaker Karu Jayasooriya. The project will be funded by the Chinese government. Minister Ranawaka said the government targets establishing 5,000 housing units in Colombo city for those who do not have permanent houses. “We have planned 10 projects, each containing 500 apartment units. We have already begun six of those projects. We are planning to start the rest by the end of this year,” he said.
“During this year, we will construct houses worth Rs. 48,000 million in Colombo city. The government has contributed Rs. 17,000 million and the rest is from the UDA. No other government institute has been able to make such a large investment,” he said.
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