( Houses put up by a French company )
Northern Province Chief Minister C. V . Wigneswaran objecting to the houses put up by a French company in Tellipalai and Kopay for the displaced people, said these houses do not suit the people in the North. Instead he said it was prudent to reconsider the construction of the 65,000 houses building programme as previously decided.
He was speaking at the land distribution ceremony in Jaffna attended by President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday.
“Those houses put up by the French Company do not suit our climate, our environment, our culture, our way of life and are very expensive. When compared with other houses we could build up to two to three houses with the money spent for each such house. Houses with furniture, televisions, solar panels and gas cylinders would create a new elite among the IDPs being resettled,” he said.
“Repairs to these houses cannot be undertaken immediately due to the type of prefabricated materials used in building these houses. Gas cylinders are being given but the gas has to be purchased out of their own money.
How many of them could afford to buy them? If they cannot use the gas cylinders and they try to go back to their traditional ways of cooking there would be many negative consequences in a building of the nature built,” Wigneswaran said.
“Our engineers have inspected these buildings and given reports which are not favourable” he said.
Wigneswaran also welcomed the stand of Minister and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka calling for an International Inquiry into War Crimes.
“The Tamil people have always respected professionalism whenever and wherever found. It was such recognition that made them vote for Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka in his election against Mahinda Rajapaksa,” he said.
Wigneswaran also welcoming the move to return the land to the original owners, said every IDP must be allowed to get back to his or her land, trade, profession or means of livelihood
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