Cabinet green lights housing for unauthorised railway line residents

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 00:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Cabinet of Ministers on Monday approved a proposal to address the resettlement of unauthorised residents along the railway reserve between Maligawatte Loco Junction and Padukka railway station.

The move forms part of the Colombo Suburban Railway Project, a large-scale infrastructure initiative to modernise suburban railways while ensuring social equity, which was approved by the Cabinet on 5 August 2024.

It committed to resettling residents displaced by the project into housing units acquired from the Urban Development Authority (UDA). “So far, 694 families have been resettled in these units, with an additional 144 units scheduled for handover. However, for those residing in areas where no UDA housing schemes are available, a dedicated housing complex of 120 units is being constructed on Railway Department-owned land in Kottawa, Malapalla,” Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday.

Addressing the weekly post-Cabinet meeting media briefing, he also disclosed a new housing complex, which targets residents from Maharagama, Homagama and Padukka, is nearing completion. To facilitate the resettlement program, the Cabinet has now approved the transfer of the Kottawa land and the housing complex on it to the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA). This transfer, carried out under Section 6(1) of the Government Land Ordinance, will enable the NHDA to oversee the provision of housing deeds to beneficiaries.

The proposal to this effect presented by Transport, Highways, Port and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Rathnayake was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.