The Tamil Nadu government in southern India is wooing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in a big way for relief and reconstruction in tsunami-hit villages.

An advertisement in newspapers in Chennai on Sunday asked NGOs,charity organizations, public sector enterprises and industry houses to "provide infrastructure and livelihood support" to the survivors of the Dec. 26 disaster.

The local government has suggested two ways of helping: NGOs can choose areas and build houses for up to 1,000 families or invest in infrastructure, helping build schools, hospitals and community and communication centers.

The local government said it would cost 150 million rupees (3.43 million US dollars) to build 1,000 homes. Land will be providedand the NGOs can get architects to design the homes.

Organizations already building temporary shelters for the survivors are not sure this will work. "Often the design of such houses does not match the requirements of the people who would live in them," said Sanjay Awasthi, an official overseeing tsunamirelief.

Investments on infrastructure projects should not be less than 5 million rupees (113,280 dollars), the government said.