The Rebuilding Sri Lanka Presidential Task Force met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat to review progress made in restoring normalcy following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah and to identify urgent measures required to address emerging challenges in the recovery process.

During the meeting, discussions focused on the severe shortage of technical officers affecting reconstruction efforts, as well as the shortage of personnel faced by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) in conducting land inspections and preparing reports across multiple districts simultaneously. 

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), it was noted that these constraints had significantly affected the pace of the recovery process.

To address this issue, the government has recruited 125 technical officers, who will be deployed to the relevant institutions from next Monday.

The Task Force also conducted a comprehensive review of compensation payments to disaster-affected persons, the provision of housing or housing assistance for families whose homes were completely destroyed, the rehabilitation of railway infrastructure, highways, culverts and bridges, and the restoration of damaged schools, the PMD said.

It was reported that compensation payments for partially damaged properties are nearing completion. Attention was also drawn to challenges that have arisen in several districts regarding the provision of housing for families whose homes were completely destroyed. While financial assistance of Rs. 5 million for house construction and housing reconstruction programmes has progressed satisfactorily in some areas, difficulties encountered in districts such as Matale, Puttalam, Kegalle, Badulla and Ratnapura were discussed in detail.

The meeting further considered measures required to expedite the rehabilitation of the road network. The PMD stated that China and India have agreed to provide assistance for the construction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges, with agreements expected to be signed in due course.

Discussions also focused on the challenges involved in restoring roads damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, which affected approximately two-thirds of the country's land area. Particular attention was paid to the difficulties of implementing multiple road development projects simultaneously within individual Divisional Secretariat divisions while continuing other ongoing development activities, as well as measures required to overcome these challenges.

The meeting was informed that, according to a survey conducted by UNICEF in disaster-affected areas, all school-age children in those regions have resumed attending school and that educational activities are proceeding normally, it said.

Further discussions focused on additional government interventions required to accelerate housing construction and rehabilitation programmes. Consideration was also given to convening District Secretaries to discuss the challenges they face. Responsibility for conducting further assessments and follow-up action was assigned to Russell Aponsu, Senior Additional Secretary to the President.

The Task Force also discussed the importance of more actively engaging representatives of civil society organisations in the programme, given their direct interaction with affected communities and the public.