Maharashtra gets deal to build 10,000 houses in SL

Mumbai: Hindustan Times: After successfully constructing low-cost houses in the city in the past three years, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) is all set to replicate its feat in Sri Lanka. After getting a green signal from the state government last week, Mhada engineer and architects are preparing to visit the country to construct 10,000 houses.

Organisations such as the TATA Realty, the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centre (SPARC) and the National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) would also partner in the project.

Jockin Arputham, president, NSDF, said the project would be completed in a year. “It will be a coordinated effort. While Mhada will build houses,” said Arputham.  Mhada would procure construction materials from TATA Realty.

Now, the Lankan government is gearing up to improve the infrastructure required for the big housing project  the 500-square-foot houses will be built in places such as Jaffna and Kilinochchi — the two most important cities of Sri Lanka, which were in bad shape due to an internal war launched by the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tiger Eelam. The battle ended last year.

The central government selected Mhada as one of its five partners for its mission to construct 50,000 houses in Sri Lanka.