Mahinda firm on ‘Metropolitan’ move

Friday, 14 October 2011 04:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Despite losing the crown municipality, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stood firm about central Government plans to establish the Colombo Metropolitan City Corporation for the greater good of the people and use it as a key strategy in the overall repositioning of the country as a hub.

“We want to reposition and develop Colombo and other municipality areas, hence the Colombo Metropolitan City Corporation (CMCC) plan will be pursued with. Such development is evident and has been beneficial in regional countries,” President Rajapaksa told a meeting of editors yesterday at the Temple Trees.

He dismissed the notion that the Government’s failure to win the crucial Colombo Municipality was an emphatic sign of the people in the city rejecting the planned CMCC.

“We may have lost Colombo, but CMCC encompasses areas governed by four other local bodies, which the UPFA won,” the President added, implying that on the latter’s account, the majority of the local bodies under the CMCC accepted the project and the onus was on the Government to go ahead with it.

In March, the Cabinet approved the establishment of the CMCC to assist the administration of five local government bodies in the capital city region. These local government bodies are Colombo Municipal Council, Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council, Sri Jayewardenepura-Kotte Municipal Council, Kolonnawa Urban Council, and Kotikawatta-Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabha.

The UPFA convincingly won four of the five local bodies at the elections held last Saturday.

The main Opposition UNP during its campaign for Colombo as well as other local bodies tore apart the CMCC plans, warning that people shouldn’t be displaced. It also said that mere beautification and redevelopment, a key component of the CMCC project, wouldn’t serve the wellbeing of the people in and around Colombo.

However, the CMCC according to the Government has much broader objectives such as streamlining local administration and building their capacities and capabilities with required powers. This will be done whilst continuing with the existing five local bodies.

As per the original Cabinet proposal, a city governor is to be appointed by the President to give leadership to the CMCC. All heads and the deputy heads of the five local bodies and a nominated member from the opposition of each local authority will constitute the composition of this corporation.

Twelve advisory committees comprising elected members of local bodies will also be set up to advice the corporation. This will enable ruling and opposition members to play an equally participatory role in exercising the powers of the new corporation in a more democratic manner.

The Cabinet, acting on Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils A.L.M. Athaulla’s proposal, has decided to instruct the Legal Draftsman to prepare legislation for presentation in Parliament.