Indian Housing Project extends to Monaragala District

In a special ceremony held yesterday at the Kumarawatta Estate in the Monaragala District, India High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu along with Public Administration, Management and Law and Order Minister Ranjit Madduma Bandara, Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development Minister Palani Digambaram and Education State Minister V.S. Radhakrishnan laid the foundation stone for 150 new houses being constructed under the Indian Housing Project.

Members of Parliament and the Uva Provincial Council, senior government officials as well as officials from the Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT), Plantation and Estate Management participated in the ceremony. 

A large number of people from the Kumarawatta Estate attended the function. The Indian Government has committed a total of 14,000 houses in plantation areas including the 10,000 houses announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. 

The agreement between India and Sri Lanka for the 10,000 houses was signed on 12 August when the first lot of the more than 400 houses built in the plantation areas under the Indian Housing Project were handed over.

Today’s foundation-laying marks the extension of the Indian Housing Project outside the Nuwara Eliya, Hatton and Badulla regions. IFRC/SLRC is the implementing agency for the construction of these houses.

India’s overall commitment of assistance to Sri Lanka for people-oriented development partnership projects stands at a total of around $ 3 billion, out of which $ 550 million is pure grant assistance. 

Later during the day the High Commissioner also visited the Enterprise Sri Lanka National Exhibition – Monaragala along with Public Administration, Management and Law and Order Minister Ranjit Madduma Bandara.