• Land Min.-stakeholders talks underway to prepare expeditious prog. to provide a permanent solution, to meet with Prez

• NHDA tells Prez that 1,289 homes are completely damaged, 44,574 partially so, latter orders proper methodology and spl. technique to efficiently obtain correct data for compensation

The Land Ministry stated that it is in constant discussions with the relevant stakeholders to prepare an expeditious programme to provide plots of land to families who lost their homes in the recent floods and landslides.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Deputy Land Minister Aravinda Senarath said that the Ministry is actively working with all parties involved to ensure a permanent solution for the affected households. “We are currently discussing this matter, and we are also expecting to meet the President. This issue cannot be allowed to remain like this forever. It needs to be resolved.”

He added that if there are any obstacles, the Ministry would work closely with the officials to overcome them quickly. “If there are issues, we should work with the relevant officials and find solutions without delay. We are talking to all the parties involved.”

His comments come as broader Government discussions continue regarding the permanent relocation of individuals from areas identified as hazardous by the National Building Research Organisation. The destruction caused by the large-scale floods and landslides has prompted renewed attention to long-standing warnings from scientists and the disaster management authorities.

The Housing, Construction and Water Supply Ministry has already initiated a process to identify safer locations for relocation, while the NBRO continues to assess damaged areas and provide safety recommendations through the District-level authorities. Scientists have advised residents from highly vulnerable zones — especially those now sheltering in temporary centres — to remain in the current safe locations until the officials confirm that it is safe to return.

Meanwhile, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake advised the officials of the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to identify full and partially-damaged houses according to the proper methodology and to prepare a special technique to efficiently obtain the correct data required for compensation. A meeting between President Dissanayake and officers of the NHDA and the Finance Ministry was held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (04) where the President gave the advice. The discussion was summoned with the purpose of investigating the houses damaged due to Cyclone ‘Ditwah’ and the related compensation process. President Dissanayake who emphasised the need to provide a long-term solution to the people living in dangerous areas so that people do not re-experience such a disaster, also advised the officials to identify the correct data for it. Accordingly, officials from the NHDA showed that 1,289 homes were completely damaged and that 44,574 homes were partially damaged due to the landslides.