Minister of Urban Development & Housing Prasanna Ranatunga has instructed the ministerial secretary recently to consult with the relevant parties and take a decision regarding the abandoned unfinished buildings in Colombo municipal area.

Accordingly, the minister has given directives to submit the relevant recommendations to the cabinet.

The instructions were given when the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Urban Development and Housing, chaired by Minister Ranatunga convened a meeting at the parliament complex on March 10.

There, State Minister Arundika Fernando pointed out that in Colombo of high commercial value, abandoned and unfinished buildings such as ‘Krish’ and ‘Hyatt’ are causing a lot of damage. Therefore, it was emphasized in the committee that immediate action should be taken in this regard.

Meanwhile, Minister Ranatunga instructed the officials to follow some relief programs due to the current economic crisis, in collecting the installments from the people who bought the houses from the Housing Development Authority. The lawmaker also advised to take concessional measures so as not to harm the financial sector of the authority.

The minister also instructed the officials to arrange for the immediate release of the land belonging to the Coastal Conservation Department (CCD), which can be used for the advancement of the tourism industry, to the relevant investors within the legal framework.

Further, it was discussed the necessity of providing land for temporary construction for the tourism industry while keeping the right of the land with the department and Bali Islands in Indonesia is a good example for that. Accordingly, the Minister also instructed to contact the Ministry of Investment Promotion and carry out related activities.