The foundation stone for a fully-equipped new village at the Abaragala Estate in Welimada is being laid on Friday, under a Rs 850 million project for 170 families from the plantation community, NewsFirst reported.
The event is being held under the patronage of Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Vidyaratne and Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Dr. Susil Ranasinghe.
According to the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, the project’s main objective is to provide safe housing for families who lost their homes in disaster situations and for those currently living in high-risk zones.
How the money is allocated
The Ministry said a financial allocation of Rs 5 million will be set aside for each beneficiary family. Those funds are to be released in three stages — Rs 2 million, followed by Rs 1.5 million and a further Rs 1.5 million.
The per-family figure reconciles with the headline cost: Rs 5 million across 170 households accounts for the full Rs 850 million, indicating the stated budget covers the housing grants themselves rather than separate infrastructure spending.
The land allocated for the houses totals five hectares, with each beneficiary family to be granted ownership of 10 perches. Those two figures are also broadly consistent, with 170 ten-perch plots amounting to roughly 4.3 hectares and the balance presumably accounted for by roads and common space.
Context
Housing for plantation-sector families, many of whom have historically lived in estate line rooms, has been a recurring policy commitment across successive governments. The grant of individual land ownership is the element that distinguishes this type of project from estate housing upgrades.
The filing does not give a completion timeline, name the implementing agency, or specify which disaster displaced the families concerned.
