National Physical Plan for 2017– 2050 to incorporate new government’s development policy

•  Government aims to transform Colombo as the centre for global commerce, trade finance, and banking
• High priority to be given to upgrade and develop road and rail infrastructure to provide efficient transportation system

By Nishel Fernando

The new government has decided to update the National Physical Planning Policy & the Plan for 2017 – 2050 to integrate the proposed policy elements in the policy declaration ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.
Prime Minister and Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Housing Facilities, Mahinda Rajapaksa last week informed the Cabinet of Ministers via a presentation on the necessary measures taken by the Department of National Physical Planning to update the National Physical Plan of Sri Lanka.

The current National Physical Planning Policy & Plan was gazetted in June last year and it aims to develop East-West (Colombo-Trincomalee) corridor as the main development corridor along with three other sub-corridors. 

Anuradhapura and Kandy were also to be developed separately as metropolitan areas with nine main cities, aiming for future agglomeration of economies and to draw investments. 
It also includes the Central Fragile Area and Sensitive Area Conservation Plan Forest, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Plan as well as the Water Cascading System Rehabilitation Plan.

Based on the National Physical Planning Policy & the Plan for 2017–2050, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) has already prepared and published detailed Local Area Development Plans for the period 2019-2030.

According to the new government’s policy declaration ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour,’ it is proposed to develop Colombo, Hambantota, Jaffna, and Trincomalee as four multi-dimensional commercial cities to connect national and international centres.

The government aims to transform Colombo as the Centre for global commerce, trade finance, and banking by introducing legal and financial provisions to make Colombo an international commercial and financial hub.

In order to ease congestion in transport and commuting, it is proposed to develop a metro rail system to link the satellite cities in the Colombo district including the reclaimed Port City as well as to develop a Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.

Further, the government also plans to introduce a radial and circular road system while adding sky bridges, vertical parking lots and flyovers in key areas of the city.
It is also proposed to develop Kandy, Anuradhapura, Gampaha, Ratnapura, Galle, Badulla, Mannar, Batticaloa, and Kurunegala as national cities while Puttalam, Negombo, Pothuvil, Dambulla, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Buttala as connecting cities to commercial and national cities.

The government plans to set-up a ‘C-shaped economic corridor’ system connecting two main ports and airports while integrating all business zones to address the disparities in urbanization by providing services and infrastructure facilities equally across all sectors of living. 

The policy declaration emphasises on high priority to be given to upgrade and develop road and rail infrastructure to provide comfortable, efficient and environment-friendly transportation system to the general public. Several activities have been proposed to upgrade and develop road and rail network including an ambitious project to construct an elevated highway between Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya.

Furthermore, activities and policies are also proposed to convert international airports and seaports to commercial and passenger ports, increase access to low-cost energy, ensure entire system is provided with clean and safe drinking water while increasing the access to pipe borne water and to ensure preventive measures and early warning systems to minimize the loss of lives, property and economic damage from disasters.

The Cabinet Office stated that the key objectives in updating the National Physical Planning Policy & the Plan are to provide a broader national level framework to the all development agencies to guide the planning and execution of development activities.

A high level coordination among provincial administrative as well as political authorities has been identified to be essential for the preparation and implementation of these plans. 
The updated plan targets to create a physical environment that will facilitate Sri Lanka to become a smart nation and a competitive economy of the world by 2030, and to remain thereafter.