IDPs In Need Of Permanent Housing Facilities

One year after the end of the war between the security forces and the LTTE, 73,000 displaced persons still remain in IDP camps in the North.
Following the end of the war, the resettlement of the war-displaced became a post war crisis faced by the country, which also raised widespread international concern. The announcement and celebrations of liberation were soon overcome by calls to rehabilitate and resettle thousands of persons displaced in the North and East due to the three decade-long war.

Deputy Resettlement Minister, Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan observed that the government’s resettlement process was on track and attributed the delay in completing the process to the de-mining programme carried out in many areas in the North. He said that following the end of the war in May last year, there were 280,000 displaced persons in the Vanni area alone.
He told The Sunday Leader that 80% of the areas in the North have been de-mined, enabling the resettlement process to continue without any hindrance.
Muralitharan observed that the remaining de-mining work is being carried out in areas in Mullaitivu, Thunukkai and Kilinochchi. However, many IDPs have already been resettled in Vavuniya North, Kilinochchi, Mannar and certain areas in Mullaithivu.
According to the minister, most of the war-affected persons in the North, lack basic facilities like permanent housing, electricity, water, education facilities and livelihood development programmes.
“Several funding agencies, like the World Bank, USAID, UNHCR and Save the Children are working in these areas,” he said. Muralitharan noted that there is a requirement of 170,000 permanent houses for displaced people in the North and East.
“In the East, there is a requirement of about 17,000 houses, while the rest are the requirement in the North,” he explained.
“The World Bank through the North and East Rehabilitation Fund (NERF) has already built 58,000 houses in the North and East and is in the process of addressing the housing needs of the war-displaced,” Muralitharan said.
He also noted that while there were 7,000 war-displaced in the Muttur area in the East to be resettled, there was also a large number of persons who have been displaced due to the proposed power plant in Sampur.
“Most of the displaced who are currently in the East are in need of relocation due to the loss of land to the power plant in Trincomalee,” Muralitharan said.