Plans have been made to develop public conveniences in the Kottawa town, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) said yesterday. With commuters converging at Kottawa from Pilyandala, Malabe and Pannipitiya, the UDA said that it is essential to develop the town to improve facilities for the public.

The Deputy Project Director of the UDA Prasad Ranaweera said that the UDA will be utilising 2 acres of a 5- acre plot of land at the Kottawa junction to construct a bus station with adequate parking space to combat issues of traffic congestion in the town. “There are around 200 to 300 buses that come to Kottawa on a daily basis and the lack of proper parking space for these buses is a major issue in Kottawa. At present a majority of the buses park on either side of the 5 acre land blocking the High Level Road at Kottawa. It is to address this problem that the UDA will be constructing a bus terminal with open bus services and adequate parking,” he said.

Speaking about the ongoing developments, Ranaweera said that land preparation will be completed by May 30. “The UDA will be carrying out all land and infrastructure preparations. This includes improvements to sewage and drainage systems in the town,” he said. He also said that once these tasks are completed, the UDA will be asking the Transport Authority to commence the construction of bus shelters at the bus terminal.

Speaking about the remaining 3 acres of land he said that it will be divided among the highest bidders taking into consideration the commercial and office requirements of the town.

Explaining traffic congestion issues, Ranaweera said, “There are many high-rise buildings in Kottawa town and most people park their vehicles in front of the building blocking the main road. We have proposed a guide to owners of these building to utilise the vacant land available behind the building for parking purposes, he said.

Ranaweera went on to confirm that the Road Development Authority (RDA) is carrying out road development projects which include road widening and asphalting. The total cost for the construction of the bus terminal is 80 million rupees and will be funded by the UDA. The project which commenced last month will be completed within a year’s time.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka