Monday Nov 25, 2024
Monday Nov 25, 2024
Monday, 6 November 2023 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
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Minister Prasanna Ranatunga
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Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga advised the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to hand over the administration to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
The Minister said that the properties taken over and developed in this way should be returned to the institutions that belonged to them.
Section 50 of the Urban Development Authority Act gives the UDA the power to take over any property for development purposes.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa strove to renovate this park during his stint as the Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary.
Previously, Victoria Park was managed by the CMC and was taken over by the UDA for refurbishment purposes in 2011. Thereafter, the park was reopened in 2013 as part of the Colombo Metropolitan Area Urban Development Plan, which was carried out by the UDA with the assistance of the World Bank.
One of the key aspects of urban public parks established in major cities across the world, is their creation of a free open environment that is not covered by walls, barriers, gates, and so on. For example, iron fences have been removed across the Victoria Park area where renovation work was done, creating an atmosphere without limits.
As a result, during the Colombo Development Program’s modernisation of the Viharamaha Devi Garden, the iron fence enclosing the garden was removed and replaced with new plants and the rehabilitation was carried out according to a new plan. For adornment, special street lighting is employed.
A trail has also been created around the park so that children can ride their bikes for enjoyment or physical fitness. The new park also has exercise pathways that anybody can use.
Noting that Victoria Park was refurbished for over 10 years, Minister Ranatunga stated that the modest rehabilitation works that have been initiated must be finished immediately to ensure the handover of the park to the CMC swiftly.
