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| Sunday, 20 March 2005 |
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Land scarcity delays reconstruction by Don Asoka Wijewardena Around 5000 acres of land in the tsunami-hit 11 districts have been identified by the Government Agents (GAs),Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the Land Ministry to construct nearly 17,000 houses for the displaced. Tsunami Housing Reconstruction Unit (THRU) which comes under the purview of Ministry of Urban Development has made sure that each and every affected person will receive a house. Out of 22 districts Galle,Matara,Batticoloa,Hambantota,Puttalam,Trincomalee,Jaffna, Ampara,Colombo,Kalutara and Gampaha Districts were affected,and Ampara district was the worst affected area. Tsunami Housing Reconstruction Unit (THRU) Chief Executive Officer Dr.B.M.S.Batagoda told the Sunday Observer that the delay in constructing houses could be attributed to non-availability of sufficient state-owned lands in the affected areas,especially in the Eastern coastal belt. He pointed out that priority had already been given to use state-owned lands and some private land owners had been refusing either to sell or donate lands and had increased land prices unfairly. Batagoda said that if the authorities would not be able to find enough state lands in accordance with the provision of Urban Development Authority Act No 41 of 1978 and the provision of the Land Acquisition Act the Land Ministry would take action to acquire private-owned lands for construction purposes. Referring to the non-removal of debris in some areas of the Eastern coastal belt,Batagoda explained that the affected house owners did not like removal of debris and had been insisting on a legal assurance from the authorities that they would be provided with houses in respective designated premises. "Some land owners have trebbled their land prices,but those who like to sell their lands will get the government assessor/valuer amount," Batagoda stressed. When asked about the current ongoing operations,Batagoda said that the UDA had already appointed 11 district officers in 11 affected districts while the Presidential Secretariat had also appointed additional GAs as district managers to co-ordinate operations in progress. He added that the Urban Development Ministry had deployed 60 divisional officers in 76 Divisional Secretariat divisions as out of 76 divisional secretariats about 60 were badly affected. "If houses are located within the 100 m buffer zone,the house owners will get houses outside the buffer zone built by the government," Batagoda said. Batagoda also pointed out that apart from the Eastern coastal belt,some private land owners in Kalutara and Galle districts had also been unwilling to donate or sell their lands. According to UDA sources, the government would provide a grant for affected house owners whose houses were damaged. People whose houses were damaged more than 40 per cent will receive Rs.
205,000 and less than 40 per cent will receive Rs. 1 lakh. |
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