Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka, together with Mangala Samaraweera, the Minister of Finance and Palani Digambaram, Minister for Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development laid the foundation stone for 50 new houses constructed under the Indian Housing Project in a special event held at Indola Estate in Matara. Members of Parliament and Southern Provincial Council, senior Government officials as well as officials from Plantation Human Development Trust Plantation and Estate Management and a large number of people from the Indola Estate participated in the ceremony.
High Commissioner in his remarks, reiterated that the Indian Government and the people of India are committed to participate with Sri Lankans in their journey towards prosperity and development.
These houses are being constructed under an innovative owner driven process with the technical support from independent implementing agencies on behalf of the Government of India viz UN Habitat, as well as International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC)/ Sri Lanka Red Cross (SLRC),Habitat for Humanity, together with Sri Lanka and National Housing Development Authority of Sri Lanka. IFRC/SLRC is the implementing agency for the houses being constructed at Indola Estate.
Out of the 14,000 houses committed by the Government of India in the plantation areas, over 1,000 houses have been completed and construction of 3,000 is currently underway.
