Cabinet approved to enter into an agreement with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and UN‑Habitat led Consortium to build 25,000 houses for conflict affected families in Northern and Eastern provinces, reports Colombo Page on July 8. The Government has earlier received the approval from the Cabinet for the program to provide 50,000 traditional brick and mortar type permanent houses to conflict affected families in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. For this purpose, proposals were called for from the contractors and a Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee (CANC) and Procurement Committee (PC) appointed to study the proposals have recommended the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) led non‑profit oriented humanitarian organizations consortium for the construction of 25,000 houses under phase-1 in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Under Phase I of the project, 25,000 housing units will be constructed at a cost of SLR 1.25 million per housing unit without VAT and NBT (SLR.1.46 million with the taxes). Out of this construction of 15,000 houses will be commenced this year and completed within a period of 08 months while the balance of 10,000 houses will be completed in 2019. Accordingly, the proposal made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs, to enter into the Agreement with the UNOPS and UN‑Habitat led Consortium for the construction of such houses, was approved by the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, Commander of Sri Lanka Army Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake has instructed the Army not to allow any person, who acts in a manner that obstructs the process of reconciliation, in to the army camps, reports Colombo Page on July 9. The Army Commander has given instructions to bar people who deliver speeches damaging the trust the people of the North and the East have placed in the Government and the military. The Commander in a communiqué has instructed the army not to take part, support or sponsor any event participated by the people disrupting reconciliation process. Army Commander's communiqué says that the Sri Lanka Army should completely condemn any act of obstructing reconciliation. "It has been observed that at times, opportunistic politicians, and some retired military officers as well as civil activists, while criticizing the reconciliation process carried out by the Government and the Army and appreciating the terrorists' activities, conduct lectures and meetings to damage the trust peace loving people in the North and East have placed in the government and the military and to poison their minds with hatred," the Army Commander has said in his communiqué.