Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa has condemned President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to move houses of low and middle incomers outside Colombo in order to provide the lands in the city for other development projects.
The President proposed at an international conference on Architecture held on Saturday (August 05), stating that the government is looking to involve private companies in building homes and structures.
“This is just the beginning. It will create more affordable housing for people with low and middle incomes. The government land that’s worth more than the buildings can be used for this purpose and to relocate people from there and give the land to private companies to build affordable homes and apartments. This will also free up space in Colombo for other developments. It’s like a cycle – more buildings, more possibilities. Imagine what could happen if they repurpose places like Welikada Prison or even the railway area. Some buildings on Mount Mary can be kept, but the rest can be used for new projects. Many areas could benefit from this. And the cost of land today makes it feasible. The Treasury is working on the details, so starting maybe next year or the year after, as the economy gets stronger, this could become a reality,” the President stated.
Commenting on the proposal, Opposition Leader MP Sajith Premadasa pointed out that the government was attempting to take over lands of low and middle incomers while there are many more unused government lands in Colombo City.
Citing large lands near the Ratmalana and Dehiwala Railway Stations, MP Premadasa questioned why the government could not commence such development projects on government-owned lands.
“Joint venture programmes should commence in such lands. The President, who at one point was the candidate securing the highest votes in Colombo is now attempting to completely wipe away the low and middle incomers from Colombo City,” he added.
The Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader made the remarks during a meeting with several party leaders yesterday. (NewsWire)