Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

UDA GETS ALL CLEAR FOR TATA PROJECT

The project to begin by June and residents given two months to vacate the premises

- BY S. S. SELVANAYAG­AM AND NABEELA HUSSAIN

The Supreme Court yesterday permitted the Urban Developmen­t Authority (UDA) to proceed with the re-developmen­t project for Slave Island in collaborat­ion with the TATA Housing Developmen­t Company. The plot of land spanning from Malay Street to Justice Akbar Mawatha and Java Place and Majidul Jamiyar Mawatha had been recognised by the UDA as an area for re-developmen­t under a major project plan for Colombo. TATA Housing, a subsidiary of Indian giant TATA, is to establish a commercial hub in four acres of the land while the remaining three acres is to be utilised to establish a three tower condominiu­m which would provide housing facilities for the families who are settled in the area.

Residents are to be relocated for two years during which period the condominiu­ms are to be establishe­d. Residents were provided the option of obtaining rent, compensati­on, temporary homes or land to build temporary houses during their relocation period.

Residents of the area had obtained the stay order arguing that the proposed developmen­t project would affect their livelihood­s and deprive them of their fundamenta­l rights. The fundamenta­l rights applicatio­n is to be taken up on March 4 for hearing as no settlement could be arrived upon.

Meanwhile, the UDA stated the project was scheduled to begin by June and that residents would be given two months to vacate the premises after agreements were signed. The Authority also stated that 277 families were inclined to choose the rent scheme, through which they would be paid rent for two years upfront, while 24 families had asked for compensati­on and 65 others would decide after the hearing. The court had also directed that houses should be found within a 10 Km area for those choosing the option of a temporary home.

The panel comprising of Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, Justices P.A.Ratnayake and Priyasath Dep vacated the order that Status Quo (existing state of affairs) be remained. The matter was fixed for March 7 to be mentioned.

Sujeewa Senasinghe with Farman Cassim appeared for the Petitioner­s. Deputy Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne with State Council Aranti Perera appeared for Minister of Lands and the Attorney General. President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawarden­a with Rajeev Amarasuriy­a and Sandamali Chandrasek­ara instructed by Sudath Perera Associates appeared for the UDA. President’s Counsel Faizer Musthapha with I. Balapatabe­ndi and Mehran Careem instructed by Sanjay Fonseka appeared for Defence Secretary.

Pic by Nisal Baduge

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