Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has presented a Cabinet paper to allocate a sum exceeding rupees 1790 million to reserve houses for the Parliamentarians whose dwelling houses were set ablaze in the aftermath of the May 9 incidents.
The Ministry of Housing has earmarked 101 houses from the B tower of the Viyath Pura of Thalawathugoda housing scheme for the Parliamentarians, who suffered immensely and lost their property due to the backlash of the May 9 incidents.
The Cabinet paper was presented on May 30, seeking over rupees 890 million from the Treasury to settle the costs incurred by the contractors. The ministry has sought to obtain these funds within the second quarter of the financial year.
In June 2021, at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Speaker, the Housing Committee of Parliament decided to allocate houses from the Viyathpura for the Parliamentarians since the dwelling houses they are using now are in a dilapidated condition.
However, since then, the government has failed to allocate the necessary funds for the houses.
The Cabinet paper by the Housing Minister was to cushion the effect caused by the non-allocation of money last year.
There are questions raised over the matter when the government is facing a severe currency shortage to indent essentials for the people.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development has written to the Ministry of Highways to complete the access road and the entrance to the Veera Mawatha housing scheme on a priority basis.
The Secretary of Urban development has pointed out that on a Presidential directive, moves are underway to allocate new houses from the Veera Mawatha scheme to the MPs whose dwelling houses got damaged due to violence on May 9.
