Accordingly, the Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, Sirinimal Perera presided over a discussion on the development of Kolonnawa which was recently held at the Ministry’s auditorium.
During the discussion, the Secretary has requested the Kolonnawa Development Committee to submit an action plan on development that includes all the work required for the development of Kolonnawa town under an accelerated development plan.
Kolonnawa Development Committee Co-Chairman and Electoral Organizer Ajith Subasinghe also joined the above discussion and he stated that Kolonnawa undergoes a myriad of problems and the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has advised the Urban Development Authority and the Kolonnawa Development Committee to work together to resolve those problems expeditiously.
The Secretary further added that facts on development included in the proposals submitted to the Secretary will be examined thoroughly; for example: after identifying the land that should be developed, the owners or occupants of the land according to the development plan of the identified land will be recognized. Then they should be provided with relief and the development work should be commenced afterward.
Furthermore, he said, based on proper planning, up to Rs. 250 million can be provided by the Urban Development Authority for the development of legally acquired lands. The existing issues include unauthorized settlements on lands given by the Urban Development Authority and new settlers requesting houses.
A request was also made to the Urban Development Authority to construct a housing scheme for low-income earners in Kolonnawa.
The development project will be undertaken according to the instructions of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and will be administered by State Minister of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal, and Public Sanitation, Nalaka Godahewa while the supervision will be done by the Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development & Housing Sirinimal Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority, Harshan de Silva and Director General of the Urban Development Authority, Prasad Ranaweera.
