Champika assures no land will be acquired forcefully
Controversial Tech City
In the wake of the strong protests against the proposed technology city in Homagama, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka assured that no land will be acquired forcefully despite its rightful owners’ consent.
He made this remark while attending a discussion with the residents at the Pitipana Town on Saturday.
During the discussions the officials of the ministry explained the benefits of the project to the angry protesters and the residents who were feared of losing their homes due to the project.
Responding to the residents’ claims Minister Ranwaka assured that under the proposed project no land would be sold selling to Korea and there is no intention of acquiring 4,000 acres of land to the project though the protesters claimed so.
“There were rumours that Singapore waste to be dumped in the lands we acquire under the project. Singapore is one country that does garbage management well. It even has an artificial land which they constructed for the said purpose. Therefore I must say that these claims are false,” Minister Ranawaka said.
He also explained that the Nano Technology Institute where protesters charged as the reason for the prevailing drought in the area was actually contributing the country through its new innovations.
Minister said that the institute had increased the income in several sectors via its experiments and the sweat free official wearing of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team was one of their proud innovations.
Minister Ranawaka expressing his views over the project requested the residents to not to fall on conspirators’ false rumours and obstruct the country’s development activities.
“As a country we cannot move further only via free trade zones. There are thousands of educated youth waiting for jobs.
We should direct those to new employment sectors and create more job opportunities. Technology faculties belong to four state universities, a space centre, Nanotechnology Institute and many other research and knowledge centres will be established in the area under the project. Similar to the project the infrastructure facilities of the area will also be developed,” he added.
Daily Mirror learned that the Urban Development Authority (UDA) had identified 246 acres of land to acquire for the Tech City project.
According to the Tech City plan, 23 acres of land in Dehigahawatte, 27 acres in Thalagalawatte, 34 acres in Dambugolawatte, 120 acres in Horagalawatte and 42 acres land in Kawuluhena to be acquired.
The project will also create over 150,000 employment opportunities while a light railway service also to be introduced to the area under the proposal.
Over the last week it was observed that the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) members led by its Convener Lahiru Weerasekara and the Front Line Socialist Party member were commanding protest against the project.
Minister Ranawaka along with the UDA officials strongly denied protesters’ claims of any negativity to the people, the area or the country through the project.