21,000 tsunami families still homeless

As the world commemorated the fourth anniversary of the Asian tsunami yesterday, an observation report by the United Nations said nearly 21,000 Sri Lankan families rendered homeless by the disaster still remain without permanent housing.
The Sinhala language Ravaya quoting the report, said only 99,414 houses, as against a requirement of 120,389 houses, have been built in the districts of Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara.According to the report, 3,956 more houses than the required number were built in Hambantota - the political stronghold of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. while Kalutara, the seat of Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, has a surplus of 1,085 houses constructed.It also said 13,913 houses do not have proper sanitary and other basic facilities, while 15,561 are without an electricity supply and added that 21,296 houses lack an access road and 14,342 are not supplied with pipe borne water.It has been estimated Rs.116,713 million is required to complete the remaining construction work and Nation Building Ministry Secretary said the work could be finished by March next year.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka on Friday observed two minutes silence on schedule at 9.42 am in memory of those who were killed by the tsunami disaster. The national ceremony was held at Dharmaraja College, Kandy, declared as the National Safety Day by the government.