TRO donates permanent houses to tsunami victims
[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 March 2006, 10:43 GMT]
"We have plans to build 250 houses in the Mullaitivu district. Houses we have constructed in Kallappad are expensive, structurally strong and are better than many similar houses donated as part of tsunami relief across Sri Lanka," said K.P. Regi, Executive Director, Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), speaking at the handing over ceremony held Tuesday morning in Kallappadu village in the Mulaitivu district.
 K.P. Regi TRO delivering the ceremonial address.
 K.P. Regi, TRO opens house and hands over key.
The first of the 15 permanent houses donated to the severely affected people of Kallappadu north in the Mullaitivu district, was opened by a German NGO official Martin, who supervises the restoration projects. UNICEF Vanni residential representative Penny Brune, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Vanni parliamentarian S. Kanagaratnam, TRO Tsunami project director Amurthab, President Mullaitivu district Fishermen Consortium Mariarasa and Mullaithivu Town Police Officer-in-charge Kuneswaran gave away the keys of the rest of the houses to the would-be owners. The houses donated are the first set of permanent houses to be built in tsunami devastated Mullaitivu coast. The colony of these new houses stand out in Kallappadu which still retains the scars of tusnami. The recipients of these houses, along with their fellow villagers, were earlier forced to abandon their dwellings due to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupation of their lands. It was only after Mullaithivu was recaptured by the Tigers in the 'Unceasing Waves 01' offensive in 1996, Kallappadu villagers could return to their village and rebuild their lives. Then tsunami hit them. Kallappadu, once heavily populated and one of the several villages affected on the Mullaitivu coastal belt, was destroyed tidal waves 26th December 2004. Its inhabitants, 75% of them killed by tsunami, the highest death toll by tsunami in Mullaitivu, depend on fishing as their sole means of income.
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