The Urban Development Authority (UDA) stated that before the end of this year, title deeds will be given to 50 percent of the residents of the apartments owned by the Authority.
UDA Chairman Nimesh Herath said that this programme will be implemented according to the instructions of Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga.
A total of 14,542 people are currently living in the apartments owned by the UDA. Accordingly, under the first phase, title deeds will be given to 50 percent of them. The UDA said that it will take some time to resolve the legal and other issues that have arisen in the other apartments.
Herath also said that Minister Ranatunga has instructed him to provide title deeds to the rest of the people next year after resolving existing legal and other issues. The main institutions that implement the project of providing housing for low-income people are the Urban Development Authority under the Urban Development and Housing Ministry, the National Housing Development Authority and the Urban Settlement Development Authority.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in the Presidential statement that he presented to Parliament recently that the awarding of title deeds to flat owners will be expedited.
The Chairman said this while attending a discussion held on Friday (5) at the Urban Development Authority Auditorium in Sethsiripaya, to resolve the problems that have arisen in relation to the schemes to be implemented by the UDA this year.
Meanwhile, Minister Ranatunga has instructed the UDA to look into the possibility of transferring the freehold rights to the children of the original owners who were residing in the apartments.
Nirmanee Igalahewage