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Govt. taking steps to address homelessness, says deputy minister
View(s):By Minaza Hassan
More than 100,000 Sri Lankans are homeless, and this number rises when those living in slums and overcrowded households are taken into account, according to Deputy Housing Minister T.B. Sarath.
He gave these figures when commenting on government moves to resolve the issue of homelessness. He said many housing projects were underway, and they included a 10,000-unit housing scheme built by the ministry, 4,500 houses built with Indian and Sri Lankan funds, and another 4,500-house project under the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure. All this accounts for more than 20,000 houses, the deputy minister said.
He said the ministry was also taking steps to expedite the completion of unfinished housing projects across the country, and this would add another 80,000 houses to the total.
The number of homeless people is rising
The deputy minister said some of these half-completed projects had houses with cracked walls and sunken foundations, although the constructions were stalled only a few years ago. He said the ministry had called for a study of these projects with a view to completing them.
The government has allocated Rs 650 million for housing projects, said Housing and Construction Department’s Media Secretary Patrick Roderigo.
The Colombo Urban Regeneration Project, an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)-funded housing project in Narahenpita, has been completed with a capacity to house more than 600 people from low-income households. The houses will be distributed before November, Mr Rodrigo said.
He said two Chinese-funded housing projects were coming up in Dematagoda and Peliyagoda with accommodation for 1,000 people. The projects are expected to be concluded by 2027.
A housing project coming up in Peliyagoda. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Mr Rodrigo said the department had also launched a programme to educate those who would move into these houses about the importance of adjusting themselves to the new living standards. He said the process of necessary supervision and assistance would continue for
one year.
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