Houses planned under 'Slum free city' programme

Colombo: Plans are afoot to construct permanent housing units in place of slums in 10 cities selected from a number of districts across the country. Estimated to cost Rs. 100 million the project is being carried out under the 'Slum free city' poogramme functioning under the Nagarika Dilindu Niwasa Arunodaya project of the Urban the Development and Sacred Area Development Ministry that aims at livelihood improvement and sustainable urban development.

Accordingly, the proposed housing project will be implemented in Moratuwa, Negombo, Hambantota, Tangalle, Matale, Ratnapura, Badulla, Puttalam, Trincomalee and Jaffna.

The project will be based on Mahinda Chinthana National Perspectives aiming at the livelihood development of slum dwellers on par with other occupants of the city.

Meanwhile it is also aimed at arriving at sustainable urban development via implementing a systematic development drive while catering to the fundamental needs of the urban poor. The project will be implemented as a beneficiary participatory housing development project with the guidance of community welfare Centres and other political bodies in the area.

Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardane speaking at a special meeting at his Ministry organised to discuss the feasibility of implementing this project in certain districts, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa has noted the necessity of constructing permanent housing units for slum dwellers under a sustainable urban development process.

Minister Gunawardane said that rupees one million will be spent on each city during the first phase of the project. One thousand housing units constructed under by the Nagarika Dilindu Niwasa Arunodaya Project will be handed over to the beneficiary families shortly, Minister Gunawardane added.
Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Ministry Secretary P. Ramanujam, Nagarika Dilindu Niwasa Arunodaya Project Director H.M. Dayananda, Sanasa Development Bank Deputy General Manager and several others also were present.