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Colombo Uni land takeover : Lecturers write to PM; UDA unfazed

14 Nov 2020

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa As the Urban Development Authority (UDA) remains firm on continuing to take over the land on Muttiah Road, which is owned by the University of Colombo, university lecturers have submitted a letter to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in a last-ditch effort to save their land. In the letter, the Arts Faculty Teachers’ Association – Colombo University (AFTA-CU), the official trade union of the faculty, has urged the Prime Minister to reconsider the decision to immediately seize the said property. They stressed that the decision comes to the university as a surprise, as no other hostel facility has been provided and the relevant student and staff bodies have not been duly consulted in the process. “As a union concerned with ensuring access to education and safeguarding state education, we have serious concerns regarding this decision, which has been taken without providing another hostel facility at a time when the on-site functions of the university are on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” the letter stated. The UDA has decided to take over the 2.5-acre land, where the Muttiah Road Hostel for Women and Differently Abled Students is located, to carry out development activities. The Muttiah Road Hostel is one of eight permanent hostels of the University of Colombo, housing more than 550 female students including differently-abled students, a majority of whom are from the Faculty of Arts. The Association has stressed in the letter that the hostel is situated at a convenient location, has the capacity to accommodate a large number of students, is in close proximity to the faculty, and the safety of the locale make it an ideal place of residence for students. The hostel has also been recently renovated by the university to provide better access to the differently abled students. “The hostel facilities serve the neediest students from rural areas and are a vital resource that ensures their uninterrupted education,” the letter reads. It is further stated in the letter that the University of Colombo currently does not have adequate hostel facilities and is in the process of enhancing its hostel facilities. “In light of the Government’s plans to increase the annual intake of students to all state universities, this action that will result in curtailing the limited resources available to the university seems counterintuitive. Any move to seize the said property immediately not only deprives the needy students of a chance to better education, but also endangers their safety amidst the pandemic, which makes finding alternative housing nearly impossible,” the letter further states. Meanwhile, when contacted by The Sunday Morning, UDA Director General Prasad Ranaweera said the decision would not be changed and the land would be acquired by the authority for development purposes. He said that even though the university opposed the decision, the land would be acquired and a new hostel complex would be built for the university in a separate location.  

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