Monday, 2 February 2015 00:00
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Undoubtedly one of the feathers in the cap of the previous Government was the impressive beatification program carried out in Colombo and later expanded to other urban areas. Now with a new administration in power there are significant questions to grapple with regarding these projects.
No doubt the residents of Colombo would like to see more areas of their capital spruced up. But the actions of the previous Defence Ministry, under which the Urban Development Authority (UDA) functioned, have tossed new challenges to their sustainability. Perhaps the main spanner in the works is corruption.
The “usefulness and cost estimates and stipulated prices” of some UDA and Land Reclamation Board bear investigation, the newly appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development, Karunasena Hettiarachchi had told a weekend newspaper insisting that investigations are needed into these aspects.
However, the UDA will maintain completed projects for the beautification of Colombo such as the Gold Centre and the Floating Market in Pettah, Arcade Independence, the Old Dutch Hospital and the Racecourse much to the relief of residents.
The budget allocation for Defence and Urban Development was nearly Rs. 290 billion for 2015, an increase from Rs. 253 billion the previous year. However, it is still unclear how much of the 2015 chunk will still be doled out under the interim Budget and once a more permanent Cabinet is installed in the middle of the year.
Other city beautification and town centre developments planned by the former Rajapaksa Government include the Nuwara Eliya, Homagama, Godagama, Diyagama, Pitipana, Mahenawatte, Pothuwilkumbura and Angoda town centre projects, the Greater Hambantota development project, the Beira Lake restoration and the Kalido Beach Park in Kalutara.
Another issue is housing programs for low-income settlements will continue but will first be reviewed. This will also complicate one of the promises in the 100-day plan, which is to resolve problems of poor people within Colombo. The residents of Slave Island especially will be keen to see how their legal appeals will be met though some assistance has already been provided in the Budget for families already given apartments.
The previous Government’s urban regeneration program was seeking investors for 537 watte and Mount Mary land in Dematagoda, Colombo 9, Typing Watte in Colombo 8, 187, 189 and 255 watte in Torrington Avenue, Colombo 7, Tara Watte in Colombo 7 and Udumage Watte on Baseline Road.
Questions have also been raised over the use of the military. At least in the short-term the UDA will continue to use the army as it is cheaper but the private sector has long been battling for a level playing field.
In addition, militarisation of public spaces has also drawn flak, leaving the Government in a quandary over how to maintain its good governance credentials in this sphere.
Priority mega-projects for which the previous Government was seeking investors in the Colombo District include the Chalmers Granaries site, Gangarama car park, St John’s car park site, the Water’s Edge Hotel site, Maradana Central Cinema site, HSBC Land, UDA stage 3 land in Battaramulla, ETF land in Colombo, BCC land in Panchikawatte, a site next to Hemas Building and the Tripoli site in the Fort, 113 perches of land in Union Place and the Electro Plastics building site in Rajagiriya. The capital awaits their fate.
