Sri Lanka President orders on-time completion of all 2026 budget housing projects

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed officials to complete all housing projects funded under the 2026 Budget on time and hand them over to the public without delays, while placing all monitoring under one coordinating institution to ensure accountability.

The President issued these instructions during a meeting held this morning (January 02) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo with officials of the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA). The discussion focused on the planning and current status of housing projects scheduled under the 2026 Budget, including the national housing programme, “A Place to Belong – A Beautiful Life.”

During the meeting, the President reviewed the progress and completion targets of a Rs. 10,200 million housing project for low-income families and a Rs. 5,000 million housing project aimed at communities displaced by the conflict. Both projects are to be implemented using 2026 Budget allocations.

The President also highlighted the need to speed up housing projects started in previous years under the NHDA that are still incomplete. He stressed that delays must be addressed and projects completed as soon as possible to meet public needs.

Emphasizing efficiency, the President instructed that supervision and monitoring of all housing projects be brought under a single institution to improve coordination, transparency, and responsibility.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Dr. Susil Ranasinghe; Deputy Minister T.B. Sarath; Senior Additional Secretary to the President Russell Aponsu; Secretary to the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Engineer L. Kumudu Lal Bogahawatta; Director General of the National Budget Department Jude Nilukshan; NHDA Chairman J.K. Aravinda Srinath; and senior officials from the NHDA and the Ministry of Finance.