Abstract:
Due to the labour shortage for plantation works the British administration had to depend on
Indian labour force. After bringing them to Sri Lankan estates, they have given ?line rooms? with
poor facilities. Those plantation Tamils have been living as a segregated community in the
plantation areas today even. But, after the independent governments concerned more on the
improvement of the estate workers livelihood. As a result of that the Plantation Human
Development Trust and the National Housing Development Authority played a key role in
introducing new housing schemes for estate people. Therefore, this study has focused on two
selected housing settlements in estate Poyston and estate Carolina in Ambagamuwa divisional
secretariat division, Nuwara Eliya district, Sri Lanka.
The main objective of the study was to identify the impact of the new housing settlements which
were carried out by the government in the plantation sector as an alternative to the contemporary
line rooms. This study has taken two research strategies namely, Survey Method and
Comparative Method. Key informants? Interviews, Focused Group Discussions (FGDs), and
observation also conducted.
A significant change in the workers livelihood can be identified in both settlements. But it
depends on the type of the house and the facilities it included.