Kalutara school girl death: Motel an illegal construction confirms UDA

The Urban Development Authority (UDA) following a probe yesterday confirmed that the motel where the suspicious death of a school girl in Kalutara occurred on 6 May was in fact an illegal construction.

The motel owner therefore will now face more legal repercussions as UDA Chairman Nimesh Herath has directed the Authority’s Legal Department to take necessary action against the owners of the building.

The probe was ordered after the Women and Child Affairs State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe revealed the construction was illegal. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday Kumarasinghe argued how the building was constructed without the necessary approvals. “On whose patronage was this allowed?” she asked. In a letter to the Authority’s Director of Legal Affairs, Herath said the investigation has revealed a total of nine building violations. 

The investigators found the motel was built on a plot of land which does not have the land mass required for the construction of a building intended for commercial use. 

Among other violations, it neither had an approved plot plan nor the necessary approvals from the Kalutara Municipal Council.

The Chairman noted that regulations for light and ventilation, disability access and parking had also been violated by the building owners when constructing the premises. The wife of the motel owner is currently in custody for providing a room to an underage person.