Vihara Maha Devi Park, Town Hall re-development to kick-start next month

30 January 2013 03:10 am Views - 6113

Work on the refurbishment of the Vihara Maha Devi Park is expected to take place in mid-February under the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project (MCUDP).

Renovations to the park, a part of the project’s re-development of the Town Hall area, will take place at a cost of Rs. 308.9 million and will include the creation of pedestrian footpaths through the park, installation of furniture, lighting, landscaping, sanitary facilities and other improvements.

The project’s targeted date of completion will be 9 months from the commencement of operations.

The MCUDP is an initiative of the government, promoted by organizations including the Urban Development Authority as directed by the Ministry of Defense. The key focus of the project is reducing flooding in the catchment of the Colombo Water Basin through strengthening and maintenance of local infrastructure alongside capacity building and selected demonstration investments.

To that end, the World Bank came forward with US$ 213 million in concessionary loans in July last year to fund the project, with the Sri Lankan government investing a further US$ 10 million.

“We are working very closely with the World Bank and we have performed very comprehensive social and environmental feasibility studies in preparation for the many component projects.

It is a very stringent process that is completely transparent in accordance with both Sri Lankan and World Bank regulations and we are already seeing some drastic progress,” Project Director, MCUDP and Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, Rohan Seneviratne noted.

Through the MCUDP, tenders have already been awarded for the 3 Model Development Zone Packages for Town Hall Square along with 5 more tenders for walkabiliy improvement and asphalt laying, drainage improvement in Aluth Mawatha and improvements to public conveniences. The project will also see the walkway that currently surrounds a portion of the Beira Lake being extended to its full 2.5km of shoreline following the strengthening of protection walls along its banks.The MCUDP is currently readying tenders for Beira Lake embankment improvements.