BLATANT LAND GRAB DEEMED ‘BEAUTIFICATION’ OF COLOMBO: MUZAMMIL

The people of post-war Colombo, the capital of the ‘Miracle of Asia,’ are facing tremendous challenges. In what is actually a blatant land grab, deemed the beautification of our city, poor people are being evicted from their homes without compensation nor prior notice, says A.J.M. Muzammil.

The United National Party (UNP) Mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council in a media release today (August 28) claims that economic development has taken on a whole new dimension with some of the most valuable properties in Colombo being transferred to foreign nationals – “more often than not, under the cover of darkness”.

Colombo most certainly needs and deserves to be environmentally uplifted and beautified, but not at the expense of the poorest of the poor, he stressed.

“A city lives and breathes because of its people; you cannot ruthlessly deprive them of their homes for the cause of beautification.”

“We, in the UNP, cannot condone beautification at the cost of people’s misery. How can any government justify upgrading a city by leaving its people homeless and destitute?” he questions.