Construction of 51 new houses for families living in the Alagolla Estate in the Uva Paranagama Divisional Secretariat Division of Badulla District commenced yesterday (29) with the laying of foundation stones.
The project is being carried out under the fourth phase of the Indian Housing Project, which aims to construct 10,000 houses with financial assistance from the Government of India and support from the Government of Sri Lanka.
The foundation-laying ceremony was held under the patronage of Minister Samantha Viddyarathna, with the participation of the Deputy High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka.
The initiative is intended to provide safe, quality and dignified housing for members of the Malaiyaha Tamil community. The 51 beneficiary families had been living for more than 13 years in an area identified as being at high risk of landslides, exposing them to unsafe living conditions.
The new homes are expected to provide the families with a safer residential environment and improved living conditions while addressing the long-standing challenges associated with the area’s landslide risk.
Under the project, the Government of India will provide Rs. 2.8 million for each housing unit, while the Government of Sri Lanka will contribute a further Rs. 400,000 per unit for infrastructure development.
Accordingly, the total investment allocated for each house will amount to Rs. 3.2 million.