October 12, Colombo (LNW): A landmark ceremony will be held today (12) in Bandarawela, where President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is set to preside over the distribution of housing title deeds to members of the Malayagam community in Sri Lanka’s central hill country.
The event forms part of the fourth phase of a large-scale housing initiative targeting the estate sector and aims to address long-standing issues of landlessness and inadequate living conditions among plantation workers.
The initiative, carried out under the theme “A Comfortable Home, A Hygienic Life,” is a collaborative effort between the Governments of Sri Lanka and India to construct 10,000 permanent homes for families in the plantation sector. It represents one of the most ambitious efforts in recent years to uplift historically marginalised communities in the hill country.
During today’s ceremony, approximately 2,000 families are expected to receive formal ownership of their newly built homes. This milestone not only provides secure tenure to the recipients but also symbolises a broader push towards social equity and improved quality of life for estate workers.
Each housing unit is being constructed with joint financial support: the Indian Government has committed Rs. 3.2 million per house, while the Sri Lankan Government has increased its contribution to Rs. 4 million per unit, reflecting the project’s high priority within national development planning.
Progress on the initiative is well underway. Construction is ongoing for 1,300 homes whose foundation stones were laid in the previous year. In addition, work on another 4,700 houses is expected to be finalised by the end of next year. The final phase, involving the construction of the remaining 4,000 units, is scheduled for completion in 2027.
