Colombo continues to ignore initial relief assistance to Paduvaankarai families

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 September 2011, 22:29 GMT]
Amidst claim by the Sri Lankan government that it has been implementing ‘development’ projects in war and flood affected areas in the Batticaloa district, civil society sources complain that even after representations were made by elected representatives in SL parliament, initial relief assistances meant for families affected by war and floods are yet to come. 29,827 families displaced by the war and resettled four years ago have not been paid their first relief financial assistance and other basic facilities, according to representations made by the Batticaloa district parliamentarians.

Paduvaankarai in the Batticaloa district was declared ‘liberated’ by the Sri Lankan government in 2007.

But, the resettled families in the area still complain that even after four years they have not been paid their initial relief assistance of 25,000 rupees per family and also they are not provided with other basic facilities and amenities to their areas.

Meanwhile, due to the flood and other natural disasters that took place in December 2010 and in January this year, 5,760 houses were damaged and 551 of them were completely destroyed in 14 DS divisions in the Batticaloa district.

But, no relief and other assistances have been provided to the affected families, the civil society sources further said.