Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2021-01-25

Revising the existing Estate Housing Scheme to provide safer habitats targeting the entire Plantation Community

- From the year 2000 up to now, the ''Estate Housing Scheme'' for the construction of new houses to replace Line Rooms for the Estate community has been implemented in different ways. At present, 02 projects are being carried out namely, the project of providing a single house in extent of 550 square feet with 07 perches free hold land ownership under the Government sponsorship and the project for providing a single house in extent of 550 square feet, in collaboration with the Governments of India and Sri Lanka. Since it creates a discrepancy due to the dissimilarity of the criterion applied for providing houses under these schemes, the proposal made by the Hon. Prime Minister in his capacity as the Minister of Urban Development and Housing, to follow a single common procedure for providing houses to the Estate community and to pursue action as follows under the said procedure, was approved by the Cabinet.

* removal of the existing Line Rooms and construction of new houses on the same location.

* implementing housing schemes in other locations in case there is a risk of disasters such as floods/landslides and there is insufficient space at the locations of the Line Rooms.

* construction of the first phase of the house with 550 square feet at a cost of Rs.1.3 million, enabling to convert the same into 02 floors later.

* allocation of 03 perches in addition, to each housing beneficiary for animal husbandry and home gardening purposes.

* recovery of only 50% of the value of constructing houses from the beneficiaries and granting of a period of 20 years for the purpose.

* Providing facilities for tentative accommodation at another place in close proximity of those Line Rooms until new houses will be constructed at the same location.