IDPs to move into housing units
by P.Krishnaswamy
A cross section of the Wanni civilians who had fled terrorist held
areas and now housed in 12 transit camps in Vavuniya would be moved to
the newly constructed semi-permanent housing units in the 1000-acre
Kadirgamar Welfare village in Menik Farm a week ahead of the forthcoming
Sinhala/Tamil New Year with all necessary facilities, Rishad Bathiudeen,
Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services told the "Sunday
Observer".
Already 2000 families comprising about 10,000 such people are housed
in the village. Most of the transit camps are in school buildings,
student hostels and educational institutions and these will be handed
back to the authorities concerned for resuming normal educational
activities after these refugees were moved out from there, he said,
adding that refugees coming to Vavuniya would no longer be housed in
school buildings instead, in temporary camps that will be pitched when
necessary. The UNHCR collaborating with the government agencies has
already pitched 1000 such tents, he said.
As decided during a recent visit to the welfare village by Senior
Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP, accompanied by him , 3000
additional housing units would also be constructed before the end of
this month in anticipation of a large number of refugee families from
Mullaitivu where they are now detained against their wishes, being
trapped under LTTE blockade, the Minister said. All necessary assistance
and services of engineers and other technical staff attached to the
Building Department, Electricity Board and other relevant government
institutions have been mobilised to complete the work expeditiously. The
government was also releasing all necessary funds immediately.
The process of resettling the families in their own native villages
will begin before too long, after de-mining the areas and providing the
infrastructure for development and rehabilitation. The Presidential
Secretariat, his ministry and all relevant authorities were engaged in
formulating plans for resettling the displaced families, within a short
time, the Minister said.
Meanwhile, sources of the Vavuniya District Secretariat said that
families housed at the Kadirgamar Welfare village were being provided
dry rations under the World Food Program (WFP) aid and other consumer
items by the government and INGOs. Unlike in transit camps, families can
cook their own meals in their housing units. They are being provided all
basic facilities including water and sanitary facilities. Medical teams,
comprising doctors, nurses and attendants were visiting them everyday.
Some of the refugees who have had an attack of chickenpox have been
quarantined at the Poovarasankulam Divisional Hospital for medical
treatment and care, the sources said.
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