Tokyo Cement hands over first five of 15 homes for Ditwah-hit families in Trincomalee

Tokyo Cement Group has handed over the first five of 15 houses it is building in Trincomalee district for families whose homes were destroyed by Cyclone Ditwah, under a Rs. 100 million commitment spanning three divisional secretariat areas.

Eastern Province Governor Prof. Jayantha Lal Ratnasekera and Tokyo Cement Group Chairman Dr. Harsha Cabral, PC, handed over the keys to five families in Muthur, completing the project’s first phase, the Daily Mirror reported.

The project covers the divisional secretariat areas of Muthur, Verugal and Seruwila and is being delivered in three phases. All 15 units are single-storey, two-bedroom houses fitted with electricity and water.

The remaining phases

A second phase of five houses is nearing completion, with handover scheduled for November. The same ceremony marked the start of the third phase at Seruwila, where a foundation stone was laid for the final five houses under the auspices of the Governor and Dr. Cabral.

Also present were Tokyo Eastern Cement Factory General Manager V.M. Ravinthirakumar, Assistant Divisional Secretary and Assistant Government Agent for Muthur M.S.F. Roshana, Eastern Province Housing Authority Chairman Eng. Sugumaran, Buildings Department Chief Engineer Eng. Thuwaragan and Seruwila Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Thushara Sampath.

The Eastern Province Housing Authority and the Trincomalee District Secretariat identified the recipient families. Construction is managed by the civil engineering team at the Tokyo Eastern Cement Factory in coordination with government agencies.

Context

Cyclone Ditwah caused extensive damage across the Eastern Province, and reconstruction remains incomplete a year on. Tokyo Cement has run other recovery programmes in the affected districts, including education support for children orphaned by the cyclone.

This report is based on a company announcement carried by the Daily Mirror. It does not say how the Rs. 100 million divides across the three phases, what each house cost to build, or how many families remain without permanent housing in the three divisions.