Project Appraisal Document - IHDP

SRI LANKA – PUTTALAM HOUSING PROJECTAnnex 6: Implementation ArrangementsThe District Secretary is the chief administrative officer of a district in Sri Lanka. A district isdivided into a number of administrative divisions each headed by a Divisional Secretary. ADivision in turn is divided into village clusters, each of which is headed by a villageheadman/woman ( Grama Niladhari-GN). A GN is responsible for delivery of several publicservices to the communities living in his area of jurisdiction called the GN division.The PHP is mapped to the Ministry of Resettlement. This ministry was mandated by theGovernment Gazette of December 8, 2005 with the implementation of programs for theresettlement of civilians affected by the war and provision of essential services for displacedpeople. This is the line agency responsible for project implementation.The Puttalam Steering Committee (PSC) would set policy, monitor project administration andreview beneficiary selection. The Secretary, Ministry of Resettlement would chair the PSC. ThePSC would consist of officials of the Ministry of Resettlement, the District Secretary of Puttalam,the four relevant Divisional Secretaries, officials of the NWSDB and the NWPRD, the ProvincialLand Commission, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and relevant central lineagencies. The PSC would meet every two months.The Puttalam Project Unit (PPU) in the Ministry of Resettlement would implement the project ona day to day basis. The PPU is located in Puttalam while a Senior Project Adviser is stationed inColombo to coordinate operations at the center. The Ministry of Finance and Planning approved21 posts for the PPU. A Director, a Financial Management Specialist/Accountant, a SocialDevelopment Specialist and an Environmental Specialist have been appointed. The PPU hasidentified an Engineer/Procurement Officer, an Information Technology Specialist, a LandSettlement Officer and support staff to complete its cadre. It has recruited four Technical Officersto work with the engineer. The PPU would work with the NWSDB and the NWPRD on thedesign and supervision of the water/sanitation and environmental mitigation/internal road subcomponentsrespectively. It would contract out construction works to in the water subcomponentto private bidders. It would outsource the Communication Campaign, the CSIA, the TechnicalAudit, preparation of Settlement Plans and Environmental Management Plans to localconsultants. However, it would monitor these activities. The PPU prepared an OperationalManual with a detailed implementation plan. The PPU would liaise with NEHRP to ensure thatIDPs who receive housing grant in Puttalam do not receive a second housing grant in Mannar andJaffna in case they opt to return at a later stage.The Technical Officers would certify technical quality as construction proceeds to authorize therelease of the next installment. The Social Development Specialist would address social concernsthat may emerge in the identification of beneficiaries, the possible need to relocate camps onenvironmental grounds and any complaints. He would work closely with camp leaders, mosqueelders and the District Secretariat. The Environmental Specialist would be responsible for overallenvironmental supervision and compliance with IDA environmental safeguards. Participation ofDistrict Environment Officers in environment monitoring would be encouraged to build long termregional capacity.Responsibilities and Functions of the PPU: The PPU would: (i) select beneficiaries; (ii) supervisecivil works and technical certification of construction; (iii) be responsible for fund flow andfinancial management, and (iv) record and report project activities on a regular basis.