A mega project needs to get eighteen different approvals from different agencies which is really frustrating and it takes more than six months to get the prpject off the ground, Construction Industry of Sri Lanka (CCI) Chamber President Dr.Surath Wickramasinghe said Monday.
The planning process needs to be fast tracked definitely he said addressing media after the launch of the CCI Trade and Business Directory 2017/18 and the website.
Recently the Urban Development Authority had taken over the issuing of building permits from the Colombo Municipal Council and all councils within the megalopolis area and the UDA Chairman Dr Jagath Munasinghe had assured that from end of March if the application was properly completed and submitted that the approval will be issued within a month. That was a very positive step if implemented, Wickramasinghe said.
It is very refreshing to also see the skyline in Colombo with so many cranes visible that clearly indicates the development potential of the city, Dr Wickramasinghe said.
“This is a very healthy sign for our construction industry. But when the port city construction begins, the picture will change for the better.
In the housing and commercial sector about 50 to 60 projects has already received approval and so many huge towers are coming up. People invest in these because they know how to make money out of it.
He said however there were concerns whether the road infrastructure can cope and all these offices and apartments will have parking issues. But water and power could be eventually provided he said.
“But the drainage and flooding problem is what our chamber is concerned about. We are of the view that the flood water should not be diverted or pumped to the sea. We feel that’s a huge waste of a very valuable resource.”
The government should take steps with the assistance of the irrigation department to find ways on how to divert flood water into safe areas within the Western Province. For example in Malaysia there is a tunnel nearly two kilometers in length during the dry month it is used to transport vehicles and rest of the time during Monsoon it is a drain and all the city’s water comes into this tunnel and diverted and collected somewhere else. “That is the type of thing we must have,” Wickramasinghe said.
President elect Ranjith Gunatilleke said to overcome the delay in approvals for construction projects, discipline needs to be instilled in the statutory systems. “When you asked those institutions what they say is the application itself is not perfect.
They come out with various deficiencies of the application. It is good if applications can be made online and get the approval online.” Gunatilleke said there should be a time bar when making applications that within so many weeks and days the approval should be given.
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