Work on NECORD funded Veerachcholai housing project begins

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 March 2006, 02:50 GMT]
War affected families in Veerachcholai, a remote Tamil village in Navithanveli divisional secretariat division in Amparai district are to be provided with permanent houses under a project funded by the North East Community Restoration and Development (NECORD) programme within the next six months. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funds NECORD. Mr.S.L.A.Careem, Deputy Director of NECORD in Amparai district laid the foundation stone for the housing scheme Monday, sources said.

The implementing agency of the project is Sareeram-Sri Lanka, a non-governmental organization, and each house will be constructed at a cost of two hundred and fifty thousand rupees, sources said.

Mr. M.Gopalaratnam, Navithanveli Divisional Secretary presided the event.

About 158 Tamil families are living in Veerachcholai. All houses in the village were destroyed in the war and people are living in makeshift huts without any basic facilities such as drinking water and road facilities.

The village is located about five km off Kalmunai. Navithanveli DS division consists 20 Grama Niladhari divisions. Veerachcholai is one of them. All villages in the DS division came into existence with the implementation of Gal Oya colonization scheme in 1962, sources said.

Mr.V.Jegatheesan, Assistant Divisional Secretary of Navithanveli and Mr.A.Logesparan of Sareeram-Lanka also participated in the foundation stone laying event, sources said.