Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2017-07-11

Payment of compensation for persons deceased due to the landslide that occurred at the Meethotamulla Solid Waste Dump

- Due to the landslide that occurred at the Meethotamulla Solid Waste Dump 1,670 persons of 393 families were displaced while 60 houses were totally destroyed and 27 houses were partially damaged. The number of risk prone houses identified are 201 and 33 persons died as a result of this incident. In accordance with the decision taken at the Cabinet meeting held on 25th April 2017, the following measures have already been taken to provide relief:

* out of these families who were victims of the disaster, provision of houses constructed by the Urban Development Authority, for the families who have expressed their consent to be the recipients of such houses;

* provision of the assessed value of the house for the families who declined to accept the houses;

* provision of Rs. 250,000/- for the purchase of household appliances for the owners of the damaged houses;

* provision of Rs.50,000/- per month for a period of 03 months for the families who were evacuated from the risk prone areas;

* provision of Rs.10,000/- as a transport allowance for the families who are moving to live in permanent houses.

In addition to these reliefs, the proposal made by Hon. Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, the Minister of Disaster Management, to grant Rs.1 million as compensation per deceased person inclusive of the Rs.100,000 granted under the National Disaster Insurance Programme with the Rs.900,000 provided by the General Treasury, was approved by the Cabinet.