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The opposition United National Party (UNP) yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the Urban Development Authority’s (UDA) decision to withdraw the authority for urban planning and water supplies delegated to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). The UDA on May 28 informed the CMC that the function of water supplies would be recalled from the CMC effective from June 15 and that the function of urban planning would be recalled effective today (June 1). “The thirteenth amendment section 4 (III) of the present Constitution says that the local authorities including municipal councils and other local bodies will have the powers vested in them under existing law. It will be open for provincial councils to confer additional powers on local authorities but not to take away,” UNP spokesman Karunasena Kodithuwakku said at a press briefing May 31. “The government talks of the devolution and decentralisation of power, but their action to recall these functions of the CMC is nothing but centralisation of power” Kodituwakku added. Mayor of Colombo Omar Kamil said that the action taken by the UDA amounted to political victimisation and was a move to destabilise the CMC. “The UDA’s decision to recall the powers vested in the CMC clearly violates the constitution and our lawyers are currently looking into the possibilities of taking this issue before the Supreme Court,” former Minister of Local Government and MP John Amaratunga said. However, Executive Director of the UDA, Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi said that the supply of water and the powers for urban planning were vested in the central government according to the thirteenth amendment and that those powers had not yet been devolved. “Since 1978 these powers have been handled by the central government in all municipal councils including Matara, Kandy, Mount Lavinia, Negombo and other major cities except Colombo. In the Colombo municipal area, water supply and urban planning were delegated to the CMC.” he added. He said that the UDA was compelled to withdraw those powers delegated to the CMC due to numerous complaints received by the UDA from residents in Colombo.
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