A water supply scheme costing Rs. 3,500 million is to be constructed for the benefit of 50,000 families in the Muttur area. Water Supply and Drainage Minister A. L. M. Athaullah laid the foundation stone for the drinking water supply project, recently. The Government jointly with the Asian Development Bank will share the project's expenditure. The proposed project will be completed within two years, Ministry sources said. Meanwhile, the Minister opened a Water Supply and Drainage Board Deputy General Manager's Office in Trincomalee. The Government constructed the building with the financial assistance of SEP Organisation in France. The SEP allocated Rs. 30 million for the project and the Government Rs. 20 million. Addressing the ceremony the Minister said the people in other parts of the country should praise the unity in the Eastern Province. The Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim communities in the province have been living in peace and unity for decades. They are the symbol of ethnic unity, the Minister said. Athaullah said the nation should be thankful to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for liberating the Eastern province from the LTTE and implementing massive development projects. He said in 1997, the Eastern province was merged with the North without consulting the people in the province. Due to the merger, they had to depend on the North to get their work done. President Mahinda Rajapaksa demerged the Eastern province from the North and paved way to develop the province. The Eastern community gets their work done independently, he added.