Innovation takeoff with Megapolis ‘Techno City’

Wednesday, 21 September 2016 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government’s biggest development project, the Western Province Megapolis, will commence on Thursday with the first phase of the Techno City, which is comprised of five technology institutes covering 25 acres of land that will eventually be expanded to a 1000-acre zone.

The project will be kicked off by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday along with a slew of Government ministers and about 400 guests, a press release from the Megapolis Ministry said yesterday. The regions from Malambe to Homagama in the Western Province have been selected as the most suitable environment for the new Techno City as they have been identified as very crowded areas. Accordingly, the construction of the new Techno City will divide Malambe into three technical zones and Homagama into seven technical zones.

Sri Lanka’s top institutions in the fields of science and technology, the University of Moratuwa, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Colombo, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies and the National Science Centre will commence their projects in the technical zones. Accordingly, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) is working on granting 25 acres to each university and 10 acres to each technical institution assigned with this task.

An additional 1,000 acres have already been indentified for the future work of this project and the UDA is currently working on the acquisition of those lands. Accordingly the whole project will function within 1,200 acres. In the meantime arrangements are in place to develop a four-lane road system from Makumbura to Uduwana junction.

“Sri Lanka should be empowered with modern technologies and human resource to contest in the world economy at a time all middle income countries are trying to coincide with developed countries. The first step for the above task will be marked with the commencement of the Techno City and there is no doubt it will become the zone which leads Sri Lanka forward in the future,” the press statement said.