Housing, Construction and Cultural Affairs Minister Sajith Premadasa said Rs. 29 billion has been allocated to resolve the housing problem of 356,540 families from 2015 to 2019 compared to Rs.5.6 billion from 2010 to 2014 to construct houses for 105,000 families.
The Minister participating in the Committee Stage debate on his Ministry in Parliament said the Government has commenced a ‘housing revolution’ covering the whole country. The Government has allocated a lot of funds for the housing development drive, he said.
“The Uda Gammana Model Village Program is our main program. We fulfill the task of giving land blocks and houses to the families who don’t have permanent shelters.
We have commenced construction work on 1,925 model villages during the past four years.
Our intention is to reach the target of 2,500 model villages by the end of September. The long term plan is to provide shelter for all by 2025,” he said.
In the second stage of the ‘shelter for all’ program, 5,000 houses will be constructed, while 10,000 and 2,500 houses will be constructed in the third and fourth stages. We would construct 20,000 model villages by 2025 to solve the country’s housing problem. Steps will be taken to construct condominiums in the model villages when the second, third and fourth stages of the housing program is implemented, the Minister said.
He said the Ministry has provided credit facilities to over 137,000 families under the Visiri housing loan scheme. Construction work on 479 model villages for 12,800 families are in progress in the Northern Province. We would provide houses to 5,000 families displaced due to recent floods in Kilinochchi and Mullative, spending Rs.3,700 million.
Minister Premadasa said houses are being constructed for 1,000 families in Bogaswewa, Vavuniya which was identified as a border village during the war against terrorism, at a cost of Rs.871 million. Rs.4,400 million has also been allocated to construct model villages in the Batticola and Trincomalee districts for 5,000 families. Another 18 model villages are under construction in Welioya for 1,000 families displaced due to the war.
The Ministry has commenced construction work on model houses for 4,500 families of those who are suffering from the chronic kidney disease at a cost of Rs.1,095 million. Model houses are constructed for the families of 1,000 War Heroes at a cost of Rs.438 million under the Viru Sumithuru housing program.
Financial assistance has also been given to over 3,000 low income families. Loans have been offered for 8,623 families at 6.75 percent interest rate under the Soduru Piyasa housing loan scheme, Minister Premadasa said.