• Formulating City development and hawkers well-being proj. with UDA and stakeholders 
• Kandy MC to go ahead with removal, alternative spaces provided on top floor of Railway Station building, says Mayor 

The Deputy Mayor of Colombo, Hemantha Weerakoon said that instead of calling for the evacuation of pavement hawkers in Pettah and several parts of the City, the Colombo Municipal Council (CPC) is collaborating with several other stakeholders to initiate a project that would develop the City while ensuring their well-being as well. 

Responding to questions when contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (31), Kumara observed that the CMC’s intention was not to deprive anyone, including the people carrying out their businesses on the pavements, their means of earning a living. “This is how they earn a living and keep the home fires burning,” he observed, noting that therefore, the pavement hawkers too would have to be given an alternative place to set up their businesses before considering their removal. 

The CMC, in collaboration with the Urban Development Authority (UDA), and several other institutions, are drawing up the said project for the City’s development, he noted. 

He noted that according to information that he had received, a development plan is set to be initiated this year (2026) regarding the Floating Market in Pettah. However, the UDA is responsible for it, he noted. 

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Kandy, Chandrasiri Wijenayake, when contacted by The Daily Morning, said that the Kandy MC would go ahead with removing pavement hawkers from today (01) as planned. The Kandy MC was provided with a list of 60 individuals who were carrying out their businesses on the pavement in the City. They have been provided with an alternative place to carry on with their business activities on the top floor of the Kandy Railway Station building, he noted. 

Sources at the UDA, who wished to remain anonymous, when contacted, noted that on several occasions, the Authority had, in collaboration with the CMC and the Road Development Authority (RDA), attempted to clear the sidewalks and evacuate unauthorised constructions in major cities. However, the small business owners carry out protests demanding alternative lands to set up shop. On several occasions, the CMC, the UDA and even the RDA have given lands belonging to them but to no avail as these pavement hawkers manage to thwart the attempts to clear and organise the sidewalks, they lamented. 

All efforts made to contact the officers at the RDA proved futile.