Questions have been raised recently about the extent and scope of the housing project for construction of fifty thousand houses in Northern Sri Lanka under grant assistance from the Government of India.

The present project on housing was conceived, as a fully grant funded project, during the visit to India earlier this year of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa, when the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, made the offer of India undertaking the construction of fifty thousand houses for Internally Displaced Persons (idPs) in Sri Lanka, given the extent of the demand and the urgency of the situation.

While the bulk of this project will focus on the needs in the Northern Province, it will also cover some areas of the Eastern and Central Provinces. Work has already begun on a pilot project of one thousand houses, which will be spread over all the five districts of the Northern Province. An Indian company, Hindustan Prefab Limited is executing this pilot project. We hope to draw important lessons from this pilot phase for implementation of the larger project in the second phase, which will also commence soon.

The project, as conceptualized, involves meeting the housing needs of idPs being resettled in these areas. Given the ground situation, it is envisaged that bulk of their housing needs will be met by construction of new dwelling units. However, the project will also cater to the needs of a smaller number of idPs who may wish to have their damaged houses repaired.

While the primary purpose of this project is the provision of shelter, Government of India recognizes the potential that also exists for the creation of livelihoods as a result of this project. The Indian agencies executing this project will make every effort necessary to source materials, labour and expertise locally, wherever available, in order to give a fillip to employment and economic activity in the region.

Colombo
December 24, 2010