The government has allocated Rs. 65 billion to develop 26 cities across Sri Lanka under a new urban programme called “Life Cities”, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Ratnayake said on Friday.
Speaking at the programme’s inauguration in Colombo, the Minister said ten cities had been selected for the first phase, the Daily Mirror reported.
The ten first-phase cities
Phase-one plans were handed to local government representatives of Matara, Batticaloa, Matale, Vavuniya, Badulla, Jaffna, Chilaw, Hatton, Thalawa and Eheliyagoda.
The spread is deliberate rather than incidental: the list takes in the Northern, Eastern, Central, Uva, Southern, Western, North Western and North Central provinces, and mixes provincial capitals with much smaller towns such as Thalawa and Eheliyagoda.
The project plans were presented to Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya by Minister Ratnayake and Deputy Minister of Urban Development Eranga Gunasekara before being handed over.
”The soul of some cities may be a school”
Ratnayake framed the programme as people-centred and sustainable development shaped around each city’s own identity rather than a standard template.
“It is easiest for those who lead provinces, such as ministers and governors, and those who have power, to develop cities. But the soul of some cities may be a school or another place.”
He said the concept of a city had changed over time, and that development should proceed from a proper understanding of each city’s identity and needs while ensuring residents could live comfortably.
Funding tied to performance
The Minister attached an explicit condition to the money, telling mayors and local government representatives that continued allocations would depend on delivery.
“We have allocated funds. Start work from tomorrow. Funds for future work will be allocated based on the progress shown by the mayors.”
He also called on local representatives to protect public confidence in the programme, and said support would be provided to the municipal and provincial councils involved. The plans were prepared in line with the government’s “Prosperous Country – Beautiful Life” policy.
The Prime Minister: “A city is not a concrete jungle”
In a separate report of the same inauguration, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya set out a broader definition of what the programme is meant to correct, saying urban development should not be limited to putting up concrete buildings.
“People’s lives do not become beautiful simply by constructing concrete buildings. The Colombo District is the best example of this.”
She said Sri Lanka’s cities had expanded in an irregular manner, and that previous attempts at beautification had sometimes resulted in people being removed from urban areas — a pointed reference, given that the programme’s stated aim is inclusion.
The figure she attached to that is the most consequential number in either account: 44.5% of Sri Lanka’s population lives in informal settlements.
“When we talk about traditional villages and cities, the city is very complex and diverse. It is wrong to develop a city on the basis that it belongs only to one section. The city belongs to everyone.”
The Prime Minister also said a transparent scoring system should be used when selecting cities for the programme — which bears directly on how the remaining 16 cities are chosen — and that every city has its own identity, with development taking into account access to services and the quality of those services.
“A city is not a concrete jungle. The people living in the city, as well as animals, are also part of that city. We must create cities where all of them are safe.”
A dating note
The Daily Mirror filed its two reports of this inauguration two minutes apart on the evening of Friday 11 September, and they disagree on when it happened. The Minister’s account says he spoke “today” — Friday. The Prime Minister’s account says she spoke “yesterday” — Thursday 10 September.
Both describe the same event: the inauguration of the Life Cities programme in Colombo. The likeliest explanation is a stale relative time word carried over in one of the two write-ups rather than two separate occasions, but neither report is dated explicitly and no other outlet has covered the launch.
Not reported
The Daily Mirror does not say how the Rs. 65 billion is divided between the 26 cities or the ten in phase one, over what period it is to be spent, or from which budget line it comes. It does not name the remaining 16 cities, give a start or completion date, or say what the funds will actually build.
The reference to support for provincial councils is also unexplained. Sri Lanka’s provincial councils have been without elected members for years, and the parliamentary select committee on restoring provincial elections had its term extended to 17 December — a step the opposition responded to by withdrawing from the committee. Which body would receive that support on a council’s behalf is not stated.
