A new Resource Centre for all disable war heroes at Hendala to provide them with vocational training as part of rehabilitation process will be built soon.
The state of the art new vocational training centre to be housed in the old Leprosy Hospital precincts with more than 13 buildings, is to be a reality, thanks to a concept, mooted by Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa who proposed the Army to take charge of this unused complex and convert it to be of some use to disable war heroes.
The Armys Engineer Service Regiment (ESR) troops are engaged in renovation and construction work at a cost of about Rs. 35 million.
The new Resource Centre for disable war heroes under rehabilitation is expected to train them in community oriented vocations, skilled labour vocation, masonry, carpentry, motor mechanism, welding, lathe work, pottery, agriculture, technology, electric work, electronics, etc under the supervision of the Army Directorate of Rehabilitation.
It is to be equipped with a gymnasium, swimming pool and all other much needed accessories for rehabilitations.
The entire project, to be modeled to suit the most modern technological innovations is to be fully themed on an nature-friendly environment with lush greenery, rich with varieties of vegetables to suit popular home grown concepts. The entire complex is to be landscaped by Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment (VIR) using their professional know-how and expertise.
The famous Leprosy Hospital, built during the times of colonial masters, gradually fell vacant as Sri Lanka as one of the first in whole of South Asia, succeeded in eradicating the disease from our soil many years ago. Since then, those buildings and ward remained dilapidated until Ministry of Defence took them over some time ago.
The Army, with the highest number of disable soldiers, has only one fully-equipped rehabilitation centre at Ragama. After the one at Hendala is completed, the Army will have facilities to accommodate 300 more rehabilitees and trains there for various vocation and income generating professions.