Salawa residents await resumption of compensation

by Rukshana Rizwie

Victims of the Salawa armory blast were promised that their monthly compensation of Rs. 50, 000 would be resumed, with the third trench expedited next week, ASP Jayasuriya, leader of a collective group told the Sunday Observer.

“At a meeting presided over by Minister Ravi Karunanayake last Thursday, we were told that the third instalment of our compensation would be expedited next week and would be paid for another three months,” Jayasuriya said.

During the same meeting , also attended by Minister Susil Premajayantha and Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, it was announced, the government had reached a decision to provide five acres of land from the Army camp for the reconstruction of a shopping complex, destroyed in the June blast, he said.

“Construction is expected to begin next month and we have been told, we may build temporary makeshift shops until construction is complete,” the group leader said. Another meeting is scheduled for October 17 to review the decision taken and consider any issues, he said. Early this month a group of residents who formed a collective, lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission over the non-payment of their compensation. Jayasuriya who led the group said, they had been provided compensation only for two months, and no valid reason had been given by the officials for the delay in paying the rest.