The Urban Development Authority (UDA) has reactivated several projects that are on hold, with various future projects around the country to be commenced within the next few months, according to UDA Director General Mahinda Withanaarachchi.
Withanaarachchi told The Sunday Morning that the authority’s primary mega-scale middle-income housing project was ongoing, with the objective of breaking barriers to access for housing for middle-income groups.
At present, the UDA has a large range of projects spanning different scales of reach that work towards a planned and sustained urbanisation.
“The UDA has also made preparations to recommence projects with investors after the crisis, and we are currently working under the Clean Sri Lanka programme on about 20 subprojects with the aim of improving facilities of tourist destinations,” the Director General explained.
The UDA had also received Rs. 500 million in an initiative titled ‘City Branding,’ giving tourist sites a step-up in attracting investment and tourism.
A sum of Rs. 300 million has been allocated to Kataragama in order to commence this project, with plans to implement it in Kandy, Colombo, Anuradhapura, and Colombo Fort in the future.
Withanaarachchi said that discussions were also being held on the establishment of a multi-modal hub in Colombo Fort. A special committee had been appointed for this project, in collaboration with the Road Development Authority, the Presidential Secretariat, and the Ministry of Transport and Highways.
Similarly, proposals for other projects – including the establishment of a satellite hub for the existing multi-modal hub in Kandy – are being drafted, with several more to commence within the coming months.
It was also noted that the proposals for projects that had been suspended – namely, multi-storey car parks and administrative complexes – had been remade and checked for feasibility.
Withanaarachchi added: “The UDA received its budget of Rs. 750 million in March. We understood which projects we needed to commence and allocated funds for these projects by April.”
At present, the UDA has numerous projects ongoing, including infrastructure development, urban regeneration, public facilities, restoration of historical buildings, tourism, and more.