Hanwella traders opt to stay where they are

More than 500 traders at the Hanwella weekly fair yesterday staged a demonstration against a decision to shift the stalls to another location.

They pointed out that the proposed location was adjacent to the public cemetery and was not fit for a market place. The traders said the Hanwella Town Development Project could be implemented without shifting the old weekly fair. The group calling itself the Association to Protect the Self-employed organised the demonstration.

The protestors carrying placards and shouting slogans paraded the streets in Hanwella and arrived at the Sithawaka Pradeshiya Sabha grounds where they staged demonstration for about two hours before deciding to disperse.

Meanwhile Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Jayantha Rohana told the media that steps were being taken by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to implement the Hanwella development plan approved about five years ago.

He stressed the need to shift the old fair to a new location under the plan and that the protest was not justified.