25 May 2019 12:10 am
W.H. Karunarathna, Secretary to the Ministry of Land & Parliamentary Reforms and other participants of the kick-off meeting
Recognizing the importance of efficient land management and its contribution to the economy, the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank), the entrusted government agency of Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) is financing a comprehensive feasibility study to establish a Land Data Infrastructure (LDI) and Land Information Service System (LISS) in Sri Lanka as a grant under its technical assistance scheme.
The kick off meeting of the feasibility inception was held on May 21st at the Ministry of Land and Parliamentary Reforms with the participation of Secretary of the Ministry W.H Karunarathna, the Country Director of Colombo Representative office of Korea Eximbank, Daekyoo Park, Surveyor General S.M.P.P. Sangakkara, experts of the feasibility study team and other staff members from relevant organizations.
The study will be completed by October 2019. Based on the outcomes of the feasibility study, the Government of Korea will consider to approve EDCF Finance for the project implementation within 2019.
The feasibility study consultant, Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation (LX) Consortium has dispatched a team with relevant expertise in the field to analyze the status and requirements of the project, establish a target model for the proposed project, calculate the estimated cost for the project components, and set operations & management plan for establishments. The consultant is also expected to analyze the policy, legal, technical and economic feasibility of the project and devise project performance indicators.
If implemented, the project will enable the Government of Sri Lanka to integrate the land parcel fabrics into LDI & LISS and enhance the ability to manage the city administration using land information service system for 24 municipalities. It will also improve the accessibility to the land information for the various users, enhance the efficiency of spatial information management through National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), maximize utilization of land data, increase the efficiency of issuing land titles and grants and strengthen the revenue generation of the Municipalities.
The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) provides Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans through EDCF (Economic Development Cooperation Fund) for international development and cooperation. The bank provided its first ODA loan for the rehabilitation of the Colombo-Galle road (A2) in 1990. As of now, Korea Eximbank entrusted by the Korean government with the EDCF has approved US$ 815.17 million for 30 development projects in Sri Lanka.