Foundation stone laid for the Indian Housing Project in Central and Uva Provinces

High Commissioner of India, Mr. Y. K. Sinha, and Hon’ble P. Thigambaram, Minister of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure & Community Development jointly laid the foundation stone for the third phase of the Indian Housing Project at Dunsinane estateon 24 April 2016 in the presence of Hon’ble Mano Ganesan, Minister of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages and Hon’ble V.S. Radhakrishnan, State Minister of Education.Mr, Thilagaraj, MP, Central Provincial Council members, Mrs. Ranjini Nadarajapillai, Secretary, Ministry of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure & Community Development, Mr. V. Puththirasigamoney, Chairman, Plantation Human Development Trust, Mr. Bathiyabulumulla, CEO, Elpitiya plantations, and Ms. Radha Venkataraman, Assistant High Commissioner of India in Kandy were also present during the ceremony.

As part of Government of India’s commitment to construct 50,000 houses in Sri Lanka, 4000 houses will be constructed in the Central and Uva Provinces as the third and final phase of the project.

The houses in the estates will be constructed through the Estate Workers Housing Cooperative Societies (EWHCS), who in consultation with the beneficiaries will facilitate construction. The services of four Implementing Agencies (UN-Habitat, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Habitat for Humanity and National Housing Development Authority) who have been providing necessary technical assistance and support under the second phase involving construction of 45,000 houses in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, will be utilised for the Project.

High Commission of India would release payment of a total of SLR 950,000 per house in four tranches, linked to the physical progress, directly to the special bank account operated by the EWHCS. The beneficiaries will be selected through a transparent and norm-based process on the basis of clearly defined and objective criteria.

Government of Sri Lanka has earmarked an area of 7 perches per family for 1134 houses and hence only 1134 houses will be taken up for construction initially. Government of India will commence construction of the remaining 2866 houses as soon as land is made available.

The project will be implemented in close consultation with the Ministry of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure & Community Development and Plantation Human Development Trust.

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24 April 2016

The above news is a blatant racial bias of the Indian government’s intrusion in violating the Sri Lanka sovereignty by extending aid ONLY to the ex-Indian community in SL. Even the whole foundation ceremony saga is represented by the Indian and ex-Indian clique in open blatancy! This separate support is discriminating the indigenous Sinhela people who are worse off than the estate workers in their living conditions, if one looks at the destitute state of the vast majority of the population in remote rural areas. The major blame goes to the so called government of SL who could allow India such apartheid type assistance to ex-Indians openly discriminating the native population. This is clearly how India is preparing to separately strengthen their people against the indigenous people of SL in order to establish dominance over our independent Island Country with the hope of annexing with the Indian subcontinent! Which national country or government will allow such foreign intervention almost by invitation to be destroyed???

Anura Seneviratna.