UNP on beautification of Cmb

9 September 2011 09:57 am

The UNP said today that the government did not have the right to break down walls or damage homes for the purpose of beautifying the city of Colombo as it had no authority to do so.

“Without any consultation with the public, no individual can beautify the city as beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it should be a democratic process. The government cannot break down walls, damage homes or even cut down trees at its own free will,”
UNP MP and Colombo East Main Organiser Eran Wickramaratne said today.

He said while the party was for making the city greener it should be done by adhering to the democratic process. He said several homes have been broken down in Slave Island, Torrington Avenue and Colombo North and that according to the government some 65,000 families will be relocated.

“People have the right to choose where they wish to live and the government should not be permitted to make that decision on their behalf,” he said. He said as a result there has been a lot unrest among people in the Colombo city where 50% of the people reside in areas within limited access to resources.

Although some infrastructure and roads are being built, there has been little investment in pipe-borne water and drainage systems, he said. “People have the legal and moral right to be in possession of these facilities,” he said. (Olindhi Jayasundere)