Handicrafts village in Sigiriya threatened

A handicrafts village set up in Sigiriya in 2003 at a cost of Rs. 27-million is in danger of being closed. The village was created to bring together practitioners of traditional handicrafts in the Central Province.

The village has 46 rooms equipped with basic facilities. The village population is currently limited to 12 handicraftsmen. The village comes under the control of the Ministry of Rural Industries and Self-Employment Promotion, which spends Rs. 80,000 a month on maintaining the village.