Need for strong public lobby against apartment construction in residential areas

As a concerned public interest citizen, I am writing on a matter of great importance which if not controlled immediately, could lead to grave consequences such as the Meethotamulla garbage incident.

The areas under Colombo, D e h i we l a - M o u n t L av i n i a Municipalities, Maharagama UC, Kaduwela Pradhesiya Sabha, Homagama Pradhesiya Sabha are undergoing major changes due to massive real estate developments in this areas.

The Planning and Building regulations 2008- 2020 and Zoning regulations 2007- 2020 covering Colombo and Suburbs ( Sri Jayawardenepura, Dehiwela Mount Lavinia MC, Maharagama UC, Kaduwe l a Pradhesiya Sabha, Homagama Pradhesiya Sabha) have been hastily prepared by the UDA without proper public consultation during the previous government ( Minister Dinesh Gunawardene) which we believe was to satisfy the needs of corrupt individuals. Further, even if these regulations are applied to approve the planning, the actual construction falls short of the UDA requirements and certificate of conformance is obtained through corrupt means by developers.

I strongly believe that these regulations have been established without proper quantification of the traffic flow, utility and other requirements of citizens. Citizens will have to pay for additional fuel expenses, loss of privacy, noise, structural damage to their properties, time wastage in traffic jams causing lost opportunities in earning additional income, diseases in chest and lungs due to pollution resulting in higher medical charges, etc.

We have seen the fires in London, Dubai and Singapore in apartments resulting in loss of life and property. This should be a good example to government and buyers of apartments. Top architect Ashley De Vos recently said that our Fire Brigades cannot cope with fires in buildings more than 10 stories. We cannot allow Colombo to be another Chennai or Manila with blocked drainage and pollution.

Currently, I can see there is no strong public interest body or a nationwide association to voice public concerns to the government and authorities. What happens is an individual or group of residents of a particular road writing letters to the newspapers.

I strongly urge public interested citizens to form a body and collectively create public awareness on the subject and lobby the government and authorities to halt new approvals temporarily and revisit the regulations, have public discussion and consultation with all stakeholders and benchmark them with regulations in developed countries such as the UK, USA.

The regulations have to be reviewed and amended and then strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure buildings are constructed as per regulations. The public should be educated on the aspects which they should be vigilant. Apartment construction should be banned in residential areas and private roads. They should be constructed only in areas with large land mass available ( like Havelock City) or outside Colombo in non- urbanised areas where open large extent of lands are available. Sunil Silva Colombo