UNHCR to provide permanent houses for Nagarkovil IDPs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 August 2004, 05:01 GMT]
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has come forward to construct permanent houses in Point Pedro to those who were displaced from Nagarkovil in Vadamaradchchi division in Jaffna district due to the war. As a first step, 85 permanent houses will be constructed in Punithanagar, a coastal village in Katkovalam area located in Point Pedro, sources said.

These IDP families have been living in welfare centres and refugee camps since 1999 as their own houses and agricultural lands are occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the name of high security zones, civil sources said.

UNHCR's representatives in Jaffna, along with Mr S.Pathmanathan, the Government Agent, Saturday inspected the site where the first phase of houses are to be constructed.

Another batch of IDP families of Nagarkovil area in Vadamarachchi east now residing in refugee camps in Amban-Kudathanai village will also be provided with permanent houses. Two sites have been selected for this purpose, district secretariat sources said.