World Bank funds housing reconstruction in NE

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 June 2005, 10:58 GMT]
World Bank (WB) funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) is to construct about 3,900 houses in the war affected fifty one villages in the Jaffna district under a four year plan commencing from 2005. About 1,600 houses will be constructed in 2005, said NEHRP officials at a discussion held with World Bank representatives Thursday in the Jaffna district secretariat .

Mr.S.Sivasamy, Jaffna Additional Government Agent presided. Divisional Secretaries and representatives of non-governmental organizations also attended the discussion, sources said.

Mr. S.Pathmanathan, NEHRP Project Director and a former Government Agent of Jaffna said each beneficiary selected under this scheme would be paid 250,000 rupees for the construction in instalments. The first payment to one thousand beneficiaries will commence on 16 June, he added.

Village level organizations set up for this purpose will monitor the progress in this regard. To overcome the dearth for skilled workers in the construction industry action has been taken provide training to youths selected under a vocational training programme, Mr.Pathmanathan said.