Call to upgrade facilities of urban housing complexes

The appalling conditions of many urban housing complexes need to be addressed. Many of these families were slum dwellers who shifted to urban housing complexes as means of ‘beautifying’ the city. For instance, two out of three elevators at the Sahaspura housing complex are defunct. One lift operates 24/7 carrying over 2000 people daily. The elevator that functions can only hold around 6 people. The elevator designated to carry coffins of deceased too,  is defunct. People blame that drug addicts have vandalised parts of these elevators further inconveniencing people. Garbage has been dumped in various floors without giving much thought to hygiene of others living in the housing complex. 

This is just one example,  but the government should consider the safety and convenience of people living in these housing complexes. These facilities may have been provided by different administrations,  but it is the duty of municipal authorities to look after the needs of people. On the other hand, with many commercial buildings now catching fire, it is time to assess shortcomings in old housing complexes and ensure that they comply with fire safety regulations. Placement of fire exits should be evaluated every now and then to ensure that there are zero casualties. The votes of these people matter and they shouldn’t be neglected at any cost.

Hasitha Perera

Malabe