Champika spells doom for illegal construction

By Chathuri Dissanayake 

Firing the first salvo against illegal structures in Colombo, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka said yesterday his Ministry has lodged over 4,000 cases against illegal construction, with 18 more to be rolled out in the coming days including multi-storey apartment buildings built onto canal reservations.

The Urban Development Authority (UDA), which has taken action against 4,000 unauthorised structures, would be taking legal action against 18 more illegal constructions near Wellawatta and Dahamwela canals as the first step in restructuring efforts needed for flood prevention in the Colombo District, he said speaking to media yesterday.  

“We plan to take legal action against 18 main buildings which have encroached on and been built into the banks of the two canals next week. We expect the legal system and the law enforcement authorities to support this work,” he said.

Critical of the response of the law enforcement authorities and legal system in the past, the Minister made an appeal for support from all stakeholders.

According to UDA Chairman Dr. Jagath Munasinghe, there are 450 permanent structures built into the canal reservations in Colombo, blocking the drainage systems.

The UDA plans to obtain court orders next week to give evacuation notices and remove the structure voluntarily within in seven days. “They can demolish the structure on their own and if they don’t do this we can take action,” Dr. Munasinghe said.

The UDA has two legal provisions to take action against illegal constructions, under the Urban Development Authority act 1970 if permission has not been given by the local authorities for the construction, or if the conditions for permission given have been violated, legal action can be obtained to remove the structure. 

Further, under the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation Act, legal action can be taken to remove any unauthorised constructions to clear the drainage system of the country.  

“We have estimated 2,000 in Colombo South and Colombo East alone, We suspect in Colombo West the number would be much higher. In total, there are an estimated 10,000 unauthorised structures in the Colombo City,” he explained.

Due to funding constraints and the complications in the project, the UDA will be carrying out removals in stages, Dr. Munasinghe said.

Working on a priority basis, the UDA will first focus on clearing canal banks to clear obstructions to the drainage system of Colombo.

“We have observed certain areas that got inundated, so we will focus on preventing future floods. We will first take a court order to evacuate the structures then take steps to remove the structures,” he said.  

Critical of the central expressway plans, Ranawaka sounded a warning bell against unplanned and hurried construction projects without conducting proper environmental assessments to evaluate the impact of the construction on the geological system in the area.

“I would think twice before constructing those. I am not only concerned of the tunnels that they are going to build and how it would impact, but the entire area, which is unstable now,” he warned.

The Minister also claimed that different political agendas have resulted in Government agencies being blocked from carrying out projects on flood prevention programs in different parts of the country.

“In Kalutara when there was a plan by the irrigation department to build a tank to mitigate flood prevention the people protested as 200 families refused to be relocated. The Irrigation Minister was booted out when he went to the location to lay the foundation. But look at the catastrophic situation it has created today; 1000s have been displaced,” he said.