15 March 2021 09:20 am Views - 259
By Yohan Perera
Whilst Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has signed an MoU with the UDA to handover the Kollupitiya Market to a Chinese developer, some council members alleged that it has been signed violating the Municipal Ordinance.
SLPP member of CMC Sharmila Gonawala told Daily Mirror that the MoU has been signed without the approval of the general council while it has also not got the approval of the standing committee on markets.
Meanwhile, Ms. Gonawala in a letter addressed to Minister Janaka Bandara Tennekoon the Minister of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government said the CMC has signed the MoU disregarding the requirements of Municipal Ordinance. She actually requested the Minister to have the MoU terminated. “The most important requirement is that prior to signing the MoU that had been prepared by UDA, it should have been discussed at the Standing Committee for Markets. This has not been the case. The MoU has also no approval by the Standing Committee on Finance and the General Council. This is a violation of the Municipal Ordinance.
However, the approval of the Finance Committee was given only on February 15 after sighing it. The approval would be sought from the General Council on March 15, 2021. Therefore, I kindly request that action be taken immediately to have the MoU set aside and have the proposed transfer cancelled,” Ms. Gonawala said in her letter to Minister Tennekoon.
JVP Member of the Council Hemantha Kumara said the Kollupitiya Market is to be converted into mixed development projects which could also include residential apartments. “Our argument is that it is hard to sell apartments as there are a lot of such apartments within the city. Even some apartments in Trillium are empty at the moment. Therefore, how could such a project be lucrative,” he questioned.