500 Ranaviru houses ready by January 2008 

[Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - 3.30 GMT]  
  
Nearly 500 of 1620 houses earmarked for troops are fast approaching completion at the Ranaviru Housing Complex at Ipalogama, Anuradhapura. When President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the site yesterday (16) it was found that Stage 1 of the scheme is fast nearing completion, and that 500 houses will be ready for occupation by January 2008.

The Ipalogama Ranaviru Housing Complex covers 200 acres, where 1620 houses are being built with all infrastructure facilities of a fully functional housing complex. Work on 1100 housing units is now nearing completion. Each housing unit is estimated to cost Rs. 1.4 million. 

Under the Ranaviru Housing Programme arrangements have been made to build 3,000 houses at Horowupotana, Anuradhapura, and in Trincomalee. When completed these housing complexes will have all facilities including roadways, water and electricity, medical and communication facilities, banks, post offices, police stations, places of worship, market complexes, community centres, pre-school and child care facilities, libraries, sports centres and places for training in skills for self-employment. 

The work of the Ranaviru Housing Programme is organized and funded by the Ministry of Defence, together with the Bank of Ceylon and other financial institutions.   

Several prominent business persons who accompanied the President on this tour of observation agreed to provide necessary sponsorship and support to expedite and expand the work of the Ranaviru Housing Schemes, which is a programme launched by the Government under the policies of the Mahinda Chinthana, to provide good housing and other facilities for the families of the troops who sacrifice life and limb to protect the freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.