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TNA rejects offer of pre-fab houses for N-E war-affected people
View(s):By Namini Wijedasa
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) this week rejected the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Ministry’s proposal to build 65,000 prefabricated, steel houses for war-affected people in the North and East.
The project, solicited by the French steel giant ArcelorMittal, has been in the pipeline since last year. Despite repeated objections to the quality, cost and type of housing offered by the company, it is still under evaluation. Just last week, a Ministry official had rung up Northern Province Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran and asked him whether 20,000 of these prefab houses could be built in Mullaitivu.
“I said he might consider putting them up in the up-country area since the climate is different,” Mr Wigneswaran told the Sunday Times. “But not here. It would further bring bickering among the people of the several districts if they try to drive a wedge by building only in one district.”
ArcelorMittal’s prefabricated steel units cost Rs. 2.18 million each without taxes. The company’s quoted prices will cost the Government a total of US$1 billion for the houses, not counting interest payments on the loans to be obtained for implementation. The Ministry of Rehabilitation and Resettlement justifies the sum saying it includes a large number of amenities such as pantry cupboards, gas cooker and cylinder, sink, cooking utensils, dining table with chairs, TV with stand, pedestal fan and a laptop computer with WIFI facility.
Mr Wigneswaran said that, for reasons of climate, terrain and culture, the prefabricated houses have been rejected by their engineers, builders, peoples’ representatives and even the Government Agent. “Furthermore, the houses are only worth Rs 1.1 million per house. With some things like beds, TV, gas cooker, etc, maybe we could fix the maximum price at Rs. 1.5 million. But they are spending Rs. 2.1 million per house!”
“We don’t want those steel cages,” TNA Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran said in Parliament on Friday. “We don’t want prefabricated houses. We want brick-and-mortar houses that we can give to our children and grandchildren, those that can stand the test of time and that will be permanent houses.”
Mr. Sumanthiran was opening the debate on the second reading of the budget. He revealed that Rehabilitation Minister D. M. Swaminathan had been calling up TNA Members from the North and East and asking them, “Do you want houses, how many houses do you want?”
“We all want houses,” Mr. Sumanthiran said. “But we don’t want those prefabricated houses on which somebody’s making a killing. “ The prefab houses did not have a foundation, he continued, adding, “You have to fix wheels and drag it around.”
“So you can’t give it to your children,” he said. “Our people have been displaced time and again, but you don’t have to give them houses that can be displayed like this. We want a ‘veedu’ (home), not a ‘koodu’ (cage).”
“We worked with a group of civil society people who expended a lot of energy and time and brought in five local banks which made a proposal,” Mr Sumanthiran disclosed. “In this proposal, they estimate the cost of a house at Rs. 800,000. If other facilities like community halls and parks…are to be provided in those villages, the cost of each unit would have been…around Rs. 1 million.”
“So, for less than half the cost of what the Honourable Minister has proposed, we facilitated a counter proposal funded by local banks,” he elaborated. “You don’t even have to expend foreign currency for it.”
Mr. Sumanthiran stressed that the TNA was not blocking the housing project. “When people have made proposals to do it for half the cost, why is it that the Minister is intent on implementing that questionable proposal of his?” he asked. “None of our members have asked for those houses.”
The group that made the alternate proposal has issued a statement saying there has been no response from the Ministry to date, Mr Sumanthiran said. He urged the Government to take note of this.