Tamil party slams govt's housing project for displaced people

The Leader of Opposition in Sri Lankan Parliament and the chief of the main Tamil party TNA has criticised the government's proposed project to build 65,000 houses in the Northern and Eastern provinces, citing its high-cost and unsuitable construction material.
In a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, R Sampanthan said that the proposed homes pre-fabricated of steel would not suit the tropical climate of the areas.
"The project is offering 65,000 homes when the need is for over 135,000 houses," Sampanthan, the leader of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said.
"The cost per house provided by the contractor Arcelor-Mittal, an Indian and French outfit is too high. They can be built 2-3 times lower than the current 2.1 million Sri Lankan rupees quoted," he argued.

"On behalf of the Tamil people I urge the government not to waste this opportunity. If the government is committed to reconciliationthen its action must reflect that," Sampanthan said underlining the need to build homes in the area devastated by over three decades of a conflict.
President Maithripala Sirisena had earlier taken a decision to review the project after concerns were raised over the project.

Meanwhile, Sampanthan came under fire for his comments that there was a good chance of Tamils winning a federal solution in the current Constitution-making process.
"This statement shows that Tamil leaders are still living in the past," Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe of the Sinhala majority nationalist JHU, who is also a Sirisena advisor, told reporters.

"Federalism is no solution," he said.