Resettled families in Thiriyai receive houses

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 May 2005, 17:19 GMT]
Twenty houses constructed in Thiriyai, a predominantly Tamil village, about 42 km north of Trincomalee district were handed to resettled families at an event held Friday evening. The World Bank funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) allocated one hundred thousand five hundred rupees for each house and the balance money was borne by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).

Thiriyai school Principal Mr.Sountharajah lighting the traditional oil at the school premises before the handing keys of houses commenced.

Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district arliamentarian handed over the key of the first of 20 houses to the beneficiary at the event held at Thiriyai Tamil School.

Mr.V.Kalaiwarnan, Project Director of the TRO, Trincomalee district ecretariat presided the event. Mr.C.Kumarakuruparan, member of the Board of Directors of TRO in Trincomalee district participated in the event.

Mr.Kulam, LTTE Kuchchaveli division head, Mr.V. Suntheralingam, Assistant Director of Planning, Trincomalee district secretariat, Mr.K.Sounthararajah, Principal of the school and several others participated in the event.

Entire population of Thiriyai in 1990 ethnic disturbances fled from their houses sought refuge in Vanni and other districts of the country. Few of the families went abroad. The Sri Lanka Army occupied the school in the village. About 1,500 families lived in the village when the Sri Lanka Army launched military operation in 1990.

With the signing of the ceasefire agreement by the then Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the year 2002, a group of displaced families returned to the village found all houses were destroyed.

Women members of resettled families attend the function.

Parliamentarian Mr.Thirairratnasingham opens a new house while Mr.Suntheralingam, Assistant Director of Planning, Mr.Kumarakuruparan, TRO

Later the TRO launched a scheme to construct houses for resettled families. TRO constructed ten houses in the first phase and handed to ten families. With the assistance of the NEHRP, TRO has constructed 20 houses in the second phase and handed them to twenty more families last weekend, TRO sources said.

Currently 237 displaced families have been resettled. Except about thirty-five families, others are living in makeshift structures without any basic facilities, the sources said.

Mr.Kulam, LTTE Kuchchaveli division head speaking at the handing over event said resettled families are living in fear of wild elephants and leopards. The breadwinner of a resettled family was crushed to death by a wild elephant recently and six more were injured.




Occupants are seen at the entrance of a new house.