 A
low cost house completed by the National Housing
Development Authority (NHDA) under its ‘Sethsihila’
Programme in Monaragala district was handed over
recently by NHDA Chairman, Mr. Parakrama Karunaratne
to the beneficiary family of Mrs. Charlette
Jayaweera who is struggling with 05 children and the
physically incapacitated husband in the remote
hamlet of Kumbukana in Monaragala district.
The
‘Sethsihila’ Programme is aimed at construction of
houses with absolute low cost methodologies
utilizing indigenous building materials and locally
available labour and skills. As the phase one of
the programme one house is being built in each
district as a demonstrative measure to disseminate
the indigenous technologies among other shelter
needy poor families.
The
family of Mrs. Jayaweera was selected for this
programme by the Divisional Secretariat of
Monaragala. The house was built out of low cost
bricks made of clay mixed with little percentage of
cement. The door and window frames were completed
with concrete instead of timber. For the tiled
roof the required timber were provided by the
villagers. This house consisting two bedrooms,
living room, a kitchen and the toilets is of 660
sq.ft. and construction has been completed within 06
months. The NHDA, which has incurred expenditure
amounting to Rs. 100,000/- states that the completed
house is worth of Rs. 500,000/-. Mrs. Jayaweera
says that she was homeless for decades and was
living in a makeshift structure. “Now we are happy
to be in a permanent house of our own” she added.
Uva Provincial Minister
of Housing & Construction, Mr. Dayaratne Banda, NHDA
General Manager, Mr. Piyal Ganepola, Deputy General
Managers of NHDA Messrs. Amarasinghe K. Jinadasa and
Wasantha Wijeratne and NHDA District Manager at
Monaragala, Mr. S.W.P. Amarapala participated at the
handing over.
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