The entire Jaffna Peninsula will be developed as a Megapolis under a streamlined plan, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.
He was addressing a meeting after inaugurating construction work on the Jaffna New Town hall project recently. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe presided.
The project undertaken under the Ministry ‘Sukhita Purawara’ (happy city) project is estimated to cost Rs. 2,350 million.
Minister Ranawaka said the Jaffna City Development Project is undertaken as part of an important ‘National Physical Plan’ formulated by a group of 3,000 professionals representing all sectors. Under this plan, they had identified four major development corridors; Namely, Colombo – Trincomalee Corridor, Southern Corridor from Gall to Tissamaharama, Northern Corridor from Jaffna to Killinochchi, and the Eastern Corridor from Valachchanai to Batticaloa and Ampara.
The Jaffna city was being developed as a strategic city already under a World Bank project since 2018.
Jaffna and all suburban towns were being developed by the Urban Development Authority under a strategic plan.
Several highways had been identified under this programme while a main commercial complex was being built around the main bus stand. It is hoped that the Jaffna MC would be equipped with a streamlined urban structure along with the new Town Hall.
Ranawaka recalled that almost half of Jaffna had no electricity facilities when he visited Jaffna in 2010 as then Minister of Power and Energy. They had built a power plant in Jaffna and provided 100 percent electricity supplies to Jaffna.
Ranawaka said his ministry’s theme and policy was to transform this country into a land of promise where everyone could live in without harking back on the trials and travails we suffered as a nation in the past.
***********************************************
Jaffna will be developed as a megacity (15:26)
By Amali Mallawaarachchi
The Minister for Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka said that the Jaffna peninsula will be developed as a mega city as a part of the national physical plan. Ranawaka pointed out that Jaffna is a key location in one of the four main economic and demographic corridors identified by the said plan.
Minister Ranawaka made these observations speaking at an event held to launch several development projects in the Jaffna, under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, which took place at the Jaffna Municipal Grounds.
Speaking at the event, Minister Ranawaka observed that what is more important at present is to focus on developing the country and not on conflicts that occurred in the past. “It was not only Jaffna that suffered from the previous conflicts in this country. Many people left the country, both Sinhala and Tamil. The second largest Sri Lanka Tamil population is in Canada, Toronto. The second largest Sinhala population is in Melbourne, Australia. It is alright to argue or discuss about the previous conflicts. However, that is not beneficial for the future generation of this country. So it is important that we focus on development and make this a country worth living in.” Ranawaka pointed out.
Add new comment