Systematic network of cities to be developed

Colombo: Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Gitanjana Gunawardena says the government’s policy is to develop a systematic network of settlements and cities that are effectively linked with each other and the rest of the world.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2011 World Cities Scientific Development Forum in Chengdu, China, Gunawardena has said the government was focused on making Colombo the metropolis with other main cities being developed to be on par with environmentally friendly modern cities in the middle income countries.

He has said that investor interest on Colombo has been revived with the ongoing South Port Expansion in Colombo, and major sprucing up of the City, with the long awaited urban renewal and clearing of longstanding un-utilised properties for mega projects in housing, tourism, leisure and commerce.

According to Gunawardena, the government is also addressing the housing demand for the marginalised in slum settlements by providing every family with the ownership of a house.  (www.colombopage.com)