Rebuilding Sri Lanka: We will not ask the people to wait until 2048 – President in Kurunegala
Although the lives lost in the disaster cannot be replaced, the Government will provide every possible form of assistance to help the affected communities to rebuild their shattered lives, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.
The President stated that his objective is to ensure that those who were affected by the disaster achieve a standard of living higher than what they had previously enjoyed. He said that a strong programme to this end is already being successfully implemented and that he will not ask the people to wait until 2048 for relief.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks this afternoon (09) while participating in an event in the Vithikuliya area of Kobeigane to commence the construction of new houses and the payment of compensation for families in the Kurunegala District whose homes were completely destroyed due to the disaster.
Under the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ initiative launched to restore livelihoods in the aftermath of the disaster, the PROJECT 5M programme, one of its flagship projects, marked the commencement of construction of new houses and the granting of compensation for families whose homes were completely damaged by the disaster and who had received technical certification confirming that houses could be rebuilt on the same sites. This covered the Divisional Secretariat areas of Nikaweratiya, Kobeigane, Rasnayakapura, Kotavehera, Pannala, Bingiriya, Mahawa and Wariyapola.
Although some had expected it to take a long time for the country and people’s lives to recover after the disaster, the President said the Government has already succeeded in restoring the nation and livelihoods to a considerable extent. He also paid tribute to the Tri-Forces, the state machinery and all others who worked tirelessly with courage and dedication during this process.
The President further invited everyone to work together to strengthen the country’s economy so that Sri Lanka will be better prepared to face any disaster in the future.
Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, Members of Parliament, the Kurunegala District Secretary, Divisional Secretaries, other government officials and residents of the area were present at the event.
