Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe says the government is trying to accelerate previously stalled projects, such as the Raigampura Green Industrial Zone, to address the lack of adequate space for industrialization in Sri Lanka.
Chathuranga Abeysinghe expressed this view when engaging in an inspection tour yesterday (17) to assess the current status of the Raigampura Green Industrial Zone located in Millaniya, Kalutara.
Plans have been prepared to develop the Millaniya Industrial City as an environmentally sustainable industrial city, and future activities of the project are scheduled to be implemented in a manner that protects the environmental system’s security, continuity, and the people’s quality of life.
Chathuranga Abeysinghe said that while Cabinet approval for this industrial city has been obtained for 200 acres, a separate 100 acres has been allocated for the environmental system, and only about 87 acres will be used for development activities.
In the first phase, development activities are planned to be carried out on 24 acres of land with an investment of Rs. 3,837 million, and job opportunities for 1,180.
So far, the government has spent Rs. 908 million on this project, and by 2026, at least 24 industries are scheduled to be established on this land, he said.
“Increasing industrial and value-added production in Sri Lanka is a main objective of the current government. However, the lack of adequate space for industrialization is the biggest obstacle to this. Particularly, 173 industrialists from the Western Province have requested land from the Ministry, but currently, there is a minimal amount of industrial land in the Western Province,” he said.
Chathuranga Abeysinghe further said that as a solution to this problem, the government is trying to accelerate previously stalled projects like the industrial city located in Millaniya.
“We hope to build this project with the cooperation of the local people, in a manner that does not harm the environment and dispels the doubts and concerns of the people,” he added.
This occasion was attended by Kalutara District MPs Oshani Umanga and Nandana Pathmakumara, Provincial Council Chairpersons, Members, Ministry officials, and other officials related to the project. (Newswire)
