Illegal buildings, constructions in CP still an issue: Governor

Despite the discussions about illegal buildings and construction in the Central Province (CP), illegal construction was still a major issue which needed to be halted, CP Governor Lalith U. Gamage said.  

While addressing the Kandy co-ordinating committee meeting yesterday, he said the necessary powers have been given to the local authorities regarding unauthorized buildings. 

"There is a problem of prohibiting unauthorized construction once identified due to lack of power. Therefore, it is necessary to expedite the preparation of the necessary legal provisions and the amendment of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) Act.," he said.

According to the procedures presented by the parliamentarian and Prof. Ranjith Bandara, there are several issues created regarding the cultivation of paddy lands as well as the methodology of filling paddy lands. Many people have been inconvenienced in obtaining permission without the knowledge of the Regional Development Committee or the relevant parties.

Therefore, the Governor requested a list of fallow paddy lands be provided to the Committee. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)