Cooperate for suitable management facilities - Minister Weerawansa

Housing, Construction, Engineering Services and Common Amenities Minister Wimal Weerawansa said the Government has provided concessions when houses are provided to public servants in Government housing schemes.

He said it was the responsibility of public servants who live in these houses and the institutions which maintain these housing schemes to cooperate to bring these housing schemes under a proper management.

The Minister was speaking during an inspection tour of the Government's housing scheme constructed for public servants at Jalthara, Homagama, a media communique issued by the National Housing Development Authority said.

He said all public servants who owned houses in this housing scheme will be settled in the next two months.

The Homagama Government housing scheme consists of 400 houses. The National Housing Development Authority has spent Rs. 900 million to construct this housing scheme. Of this total amount, the Korean Government has granted Rs.330 million, the release said.

During the inspection tour, it was revealed that although these houses were allocated to public servants, they have not occupied most of these houses.

Each public servant occupying these houses has to pay a certain fee for maintenance activities of the housing scheme.

However, the maintenance and the management of this housing scheme has declined due to non payment of the maintenance cost by some and non-usage of a large number of these houses.

Minister Weerawansa who paid special attention to this situation said all public servants who owned these houses should reside in them within the next two months. They should also pay their maintenance charges. Otherwise legal steps will be taken against them.

The Minister said he participated on this inspection tour following the information given to him by several residents of this housing scheme on its various shortcomings.

The Ministry in collaboration with other institutions will try to overcome the shortcomings in this housing scheme.

The Ministry or any other institution under its purview will never evade the problems faced by the people. Our intention is to provide successful solutions to the problems faced by them, he said.