“Colombo city will be a modern city and moreover a financial city with various mega development projects planned for the future,” the Prime Minister added. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe was speaking at an event yesterday organised to lay the foundation stone for a housing project, which consists of 400 housing units.

The housing project named Elliot Residencies is carried out for the middle income employees in the state and private sector by the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry at Elliot Place, Borella.The area was named as Elliot as a mark of gratitude to a journalist who worked at Lake House during the colonial era.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister further said that it has been planned to construct 50,000 housing units for low income families aiming to relocate families presently living in shanties. The 50,000 housing project has already been implemented by now and the Government has planned to complete the project by 2023.

“When these families are relocated in new housing units constructed under the 50,000 housing project, the lands where these families presently are living can be utilised for the development of the city by implementing several projects. The ultimate aim of the project, which is carried out in three phases is to remove all the shanties from the Colombo city within 10 years,” Prime Minister Wickremesinghe added.

The Prime Minister said that housing units for middle income and low income families should be constructed as they are the workforce of the city. The Premier further said that it has been planned to construct two new schools with all facilities in the Colombo Central and Colombo North areas under the education sector development activities.“The Colombo city development activities launched by late President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1979 have been re-started under this Government,” the Mr. Wickramasinghe said.