The Ministry of Urban Development announced that construction work at the Colombage Mawatha housing scheme in Kirulapone, which had been stalled for a considerable period, recommenced today (23).

According to the Ministry, the project is now being carried out with the target of completing all work within 30 months. 

Construction work at the Colombage Mawatha housing scheme in Kirulapone was commenced under the patronage of Minister of Urban Development, Bimal Ratnayake, today. 

Earlier this month, the government announced that steps were taken to resume and complete the stalled apartment complex through a fresh tender process.

The project, which consists of 615 housing units, had been halted during the 2022 economic crisis.

At the time, officials stated that an additional Rs. 6 billion would be required to finish the remaining construction and bring the project to completion. (Newswire)

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Five newly built houses were handed over to low-income families in the Kalutara District under the government’s new initiative, “Thamange Theanak – Lassana Jeewithayak” (A Place of Their Own – A Beautiful Life).

The program aims to support families unable to afford building their own homes, providing Rs. 1 million in financial assistance per beneficiary family.

The handover ceremony was held yesterday (06) under the patronage of Health and Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa. The houses were distributed among selected low-income families from the Millaniya, Bandaragama, and Horana Divisional Secretariat areas.

In the Millaniya Division, three families from Venivelpitiya, Yatiyana, and Senapura villages received new homes, while two families from Kumbuka East and Gonapola in the Horana Division were also among the beneficiaries.

So far, the government has distributed Rs. 155 million to 155 selected low-income families in the Kalutara District under this program.

To coincide with World Habitat Day 2025, another 40 houses are being constructed in the district, with Rs. 40 million allocated to the beneficiaries. In total, 195 houses are either completed or nearing completion in the Kalutara District under the initiative.

In addition, Rs. 64.5 million has been released under the “Seva Abhimani Loan Scheme” to 43 government employees without homes, providing each a Rs. 1.5 million housing loan. A fast-track program under the “Sewana Aid Scheme” has also been planned to support disabled and vulnerable families with housing assistance.

The event was attended by Kalutara District MPs Nihal Abeysinghe and Oshani Umanga, along with local authority chairpersons, divisional secretaries, and officials from the National Housing Development Authority. (Newswire)

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Cabinet approval has been granted to cancel the housing concession provided to Members of Parliament under the “Viyathpura Housing Scheme” with immediate effect.

According to the government, several MPs lost their residences due to the unrest in the country on May 9, 2022, and as a temporary measure, the Urban Development Authority was authorized during the Cabinet meeting on July 4, 2022, to provide 101 housing units from the Viyathpura complex on a rental basis for one year.

Subsequently, those MPs requested the opportunity to purchase the units under a concessionary scheme.

Accordingly, housing units that were originally priced between Rs. 15.5 million and Rs. 22 million for the general public were offered to MPs at reduced rates of Rs. 13.34 million minimum and Rs. 18.21 million maximum. 

As per the Cabinet approval on July 15, 2024, MPs were to pay 25% upfront, with the remaining amount payable over 15 years at an annual interest rate of 10%.

The government further stated that 29 former MPs had deposited the initial 25% by December 31, 2024.

However, this concessionary scheme resulted in a financial loss of approximately Rs. 92.126 million to the Urban Development Authority, which could not be recovered through the incurred costs.

As such, the Cabinet has approved the immediate cancellation of the previously sanctioned concessionary scheme, while allowing the 29 MPs to purchase the housing units under the same pricing and procedures available to the general public. 

The proposal in this regard was submitted by the Minister of Urban Development, Construction, and Housing. (Newswire)

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The Cabinet has approved providing contracts to three consultancy institutions for supervisory activities of the housing programme for low-income earners executed under the Chinese Government Donation Programme. 

According to the government, the Urban Development Authority had called for the selection of consultancy institutions under three packages for supervisory activities of residential sites of 1,996 housing units. 

As such, six (06) institutions had submitted declarations of aspiration while only three (03) institutions were eligible to forward Requests for Proposals (RFP). 

The Cabinet has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing to award contracts to supply consultancy services to the three selected institutions, based on the recommendations of the Procurement Committee for selecting consultants appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers.

The contracts to supply consultancy services are to be awarded as follows;

• Package I – Awarding the contract of supplying consultancy services for the construction project of 575 housing units in Moratuwa and 108 housing units in Kottawa to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) 
• Package II – Awarding the contract of supplying consultancy services for the construction project of 586 housing units in Dematagoda and 112 housing units in Maharagama to the Sri Lanka Engineering Corporation (SLEC) 
• Package III – Awarding the contract of supplying consultancy services for the construction project of 615 housing units in Peliyagoda to the Sri Lanka Engineering Corporation (SLEC). (Newswire)

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Cabinet approval has been granted for the implementation of a housing programme for Sri Lankans employed overseas. 

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) in collaboration with the National Housing Development Authority and licensed banks has planned to implement a housing programme for overseas employees.

It is expected to grant a maximum of Rs.10 million as a loan grant and a portion of its loan interest amount is to be contributed by the SLBFE. 

As per the proposal, the loan amount obtained under the proposed loan scheme should be paid by foreign exchange remitted through legitimate channels within the period the loan receiver is engaged in overseas employment.

Payments would be made in Sri Lankan rupees once the foreign employment is completed and the Sri Lankan migrant worker returns to the country. 

Accordingly, the Cabinet approved the proposal submitted by the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment to implement the proposed housing programme. (NewsWire)

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