Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said on Wednesday that the government would continue its Cyclone Ditwah reconstruction work until all affected families regain their livelihoods.
Speaking at the Kandy City Hall, where land deeds and financial assistance were handed to disaster-affected people in the Kandy District, she said about Rs. 500 billion had been allocated for relief and reconstruction. She said the money came from Treasury savings and not from further borrowing.
According to official figures, 195,271 people from 58,753 families in the Kandy District were affected, and 7,941 families need to be relocated. Payments have been completed for 1,535 of those families.
The Prime Minister said Rs. 25,000 was paid to 431,516 families for cleaning their homes, Rs. 50,000 to 167,458 families for kitchenware, and Rs. 15,000 to 205,200 students for education needs.
She said delays were caused by limited State-owned land, late reports from the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), legal restrictions and some false claims. She said the government was addressing the obstacles so help reaches those genuinely affected.
