SL: 11,811 TSUNAMI VICTIM FAMILIES IN NORTH GOT NO HOUSES!! BUT HAMBANTOTA GOT EXCESS HOUSES!!! THIS IS SINHALA METHOD AND MENTALITY!!!

No houses for 11,811 tsunami families: Govt. tells House

By Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera

The government told parliament yesterday that 11,811 families that lost their houses due to the tsunami were still languishing without permanent abodes.

Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena made the disclosure responding to a query by the JVP MP Lakshman Nipunaarachchi.

During the tsunami tragedy that struck the country’s coastal belt on December 26, 2004, about 126,268 families lost their residences.

In this tragedy, the Chief Government Whip said that 116,641 houses were destroyed. Of these families, 83,751 have been provided with permanent houses or compensation given to live in a permanent house with the state intervention.

Besides, 26,898 houses had been constructed by various organisations and individuals with no direct intervention by the government.

Mr. Gunawardena said one-third of 11,811 families were yet to be given houses in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.

“Now, these areas have been cleared. So they can be given houses now,” he said.

JVP MP Nihal Galappaththi said the houses had been constructed in excess of the required number in the Hambantota district.

“There are 10 or 15 families that have come to Hambantota from other areas to live in after the tsunami. Please give these additional houses to them,” he said.

Mr. Gunawardena said the houses had been provided for all the affected families in Hambantota.

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem said there were 465 houses to be constructed for the tsunami victims in the Ampara district.

Mr. Hakeem said the NGOs that came forward to construct them had now gone because the government failed to provide lands for the purpose.

He said a constituent party had even gone to the Supreme Court against the construction of houses saying the relevant land belonged to a sacred site.

Mr. Hakeem charged the unnecessary communal unrest had been created through this exercise.

However, the Chief Government Whip said it was now an issue taken up in the Court.

“Let’s allow the court to make a decision,” he said.
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