Muncipality slams door on tsunami victims

Twenty one families who lost their homes in the 2004 tsunami from Dewata, Thalapitiya and Katugoda in Galle district are being denied occupation of the new houses built for them at a cost of Rs. 30 million, due to reportedly flimsy reasons.

A large three-storeyed housing complex has been built for these 21 Muslim families with money provided by the UN Development Fund.

However, the Galle Municipal Council has requested two of these houses for a health centre and a community centre and made it an issue, by not approving the completion of the complex thus delaying the provision of electricity and water to it.

The complex is on land belonging to the MC. The members of families who are the recipients of these houses are of the opinion that there is already a health centre in Dangedara close to the complex and therefore there is no need for the MC to make an issue of it.