Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Susil Ranasinghe clarified the reasons behind reports of bounced cheques issued to compensation beneficiaries under a government housing program.
Speaking at an event, the minister said the issue affected a limited number of families who opted to upgrade their housing by purchasing new properties valued at Rs. 5 million.
However, he noted that formal agreements with these families had not yet been finalized.
“Some attempted to cash the cheques before renewing their agreements with the government, which led to difficulties in accessing the funds,” he said. “The opposition is now using this to claim the cheques were dishonored.”
Ranasinghe dismissed the claims, adding, “If this continues, it’s not just cheques that will be dishonored, the political credibility of these MPs will be too.” (Newswire)