In the model-village handover, families gratefully received new homes, security, and dignity. Many noted India’s funding enabled first-time homeownership over renting.

In a significant display of bilateral cooperation, the High Commission of India, Colombo and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply inaugurated two major development projects in the Eastern Province’s Ampara District on Wednesday. The two projects include a model housing village under the “Mahatma Gandhi Model Village Housing Project” and key infrastructure in the village of Komari including an RO water-plant and bus shelter.

The Mahatma Gandhi Model Village project was formally handed over on 29 October to 24 beneficiary families in Ampara.

Launched under a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding between the governments of India and Sri Lanka, the scheme envisages 600 houses – one “model village” of 24 homes per district across Sri Lanka.

At the ceremony, India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Housing, Construction & Water Supply, Susil Ranasinghe, jointly presided over the hand-over.

The project has already been completed in 16 districts, and overall progress is reported at about 98 per cent.

This initiative targets low-income families selected by each district’s housing committee, offering secure housing and reinforcing rural development goals.

Infrastructure Boost in Komari Village

On 28 October, the Indian High Commissioner inaugurated a brand-new Reverse Osmosis (RO) water-treatment plant and a bus shelter at Komari village in the Pottuvil Division of Ampara District.

The water-plant is expected to benefit about 1,000 persons in and around the village, while the bus shelter is intended to serve the entire local community.

Also present were the Member of Parliament Abdul Washith, the Divisional Secretary of Pottuvil, Mr Ahamed Nazeel, and the Vice-Chairman of Pottuvil Pradeshiya Sabha.

According to the press-release, this outreach by the High Commission forms part of its ongoing engagement with the Eastern Province from 28–30 October 2025, which also includes support for schools in Kalmunai and a scholarship scheme for meritorious students from economically-backward sections.

Local Impact

These twin initiatives underscore India’s sustained development cooperation with Sri Lanka, especially directed at the Eastern Province – a region that has faced challenges in post-conflict reconstruction, infrastructure deficit and economic inclusion.

For the residents of Komari and the selected families in the model village, the tangible benefits – clean drinking water, improved transport waiting facilities, and new homes – could translate into improved quality of life, better health outcomes, and stronger livelihoods.

The government of Sri Lanka and Indian diplomatic mission have signalled that such projects not only help with immediate infrastructure and housing needs but also reinforce long-term bilateral ties, regional stability and people-to-people connectivity.

Moreover, by selecting low-income families and previously underserved villages, the housing project aligns with broader goals of equity, rural revitalisation, and resilient development.

While nearly all districts have seen the housing-project rollout, the remaining few are expected to be handed over soon as the programme approaches full completion.

For Komari and similar villages, follow-up will be important: ensuring the RO-plant is properly maintained, transport access is enhanced, and that local stakeholders can maximise the benefit of the new infrastructure.

The high-level presence in the inauguration (India’s High Commissioner, Sri Lanka’s Minister) also signals that future projects may follow – possibly in education, health or further rural infrastructure – as part of India’s outreach in the Eastern Province’s recovery and development journey.

What People Say

One local leader in Komari described the RO-plant as “a lifeline” for the village, where water-borne ailments have long been a challenge. The bus shelter, though modest, is hailed as a step towards safer, more reliable transport access for women, children and the elderly waiting in the open.

In the model-village hand-over, families expressed gratitude at getting not only a new home but a sense of security and dignity. Several underscored that the money from India made the difference between remaining renters or entering home-ownership for the first time.

Officials from both sides emphasised that these are not “one-off” charity gestures but part of a systematic bilateral humanitarian and development cooperation framework  –  which Sri Lanka hopes to leverage further in years ahead.

With the inauguration of the Mahatma Gandhi Model Village and the RO-plant/bus shelter package in Komari, India and Sri Lanka advance a practical, local-impact facet of their bilateral relationship. While the headline is about bricks, water and transport, the deeper narrative is about empowerment, rural inclusion and regional partnership  –  one village and one family at a time.

As India and Sri Lanka track the performance and sustainability of these interventions, their success could set a template for future cross-border development cooperation in the region – especially in communities that must “catch up” after years of structural neglect or conflict.