Workshop on NE housing reconstruction begins in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 March 2005, 15:05 GMT]
Four-day workshop to find solution to problems preventing several thousands of people who lost their houses in the northeast province in the two-decade-old war, from obtaining financial assistance from World Bank (WB) funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) began Monday. The workshop, which is held with the support of the Asia Foundation, is to conclude Thursday.

Mr.S.Rangarajah, Chief Secretary of the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) inaugurated the workshop held at the conference hall of the Provincial Guest House which is located in Uppuveli, a suburb, about two km off east port town, sources said.

NEHRP has now formulated a scheme to provide financial assistance to reconstruct about thirty thousand houses destroyed in the war. However most of those victims when being displaced from one place to another during war days lost their valid documents related the ownership of their lands. Hence they are now in a dilemma to prove the ownership of their lands, which is vital to qualify them for such financial assistance, sources said.

Land officials in the province have now identified about sixty thousand such cases and referred to district task force set up for eight districts in the province to find ways and means to work out a formula to solve the problem. Each district task force is headed a competent officer, sources said.

The objective of the workshop organized by the NEHRP is to provide necessary training to officers in the task force. Experienced land department officers are selected as resource personnel to conduct the workshop, sources said.

Government Agents of the eight districts, Divisional Secretaries, District and Provincial Land Officials, colonisation officials and other officials related to land matters attended the inaugural event, sources said.