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Controversy over laundry at Perahera Mawatha
View(s):Right of reply
The Urban Development Authority has drawn reference to a news item in the Sunday Times last week under the heading – “This land belongs to us say washer families facing eviction”.
A letter from the UDA Chairman Nimal Perera said: We understand that it is impossible to reveal the actual situation of the washer community in such a small column in your article. However we regret to see that an outsider called R.Mahadevan who is neither a worker nor a person came forward to express the grievance of families to the UDA is telling part of the story with fabricated statements. For example dweller quoted by you is telling 15 families with about four to five children is living in the site.
We do not know when this 15 families have come to this location. At the time we did our surveys around February 2012 there were no families as this was only used for washing and ironing of cloths. On the other hand we cannot understand how a family with 5 person is occupying in 6x7ft room you have quoted. As we have observed during our surveys only the workers were staying in these places for the protection of cloths collected for washing from various places such as Hotels, Hospitals, Court Complexes etc. but was not used as a home.
Further more we have neither met this Dinusha nor she has complained to UDA officials. In addition to above the Rs.680,000.00 figure that you have quoted as said by Mrs. Anusha Liyanamana, Dy Director (Projects) at UDA, is wrong and the correct amount is Rs.68.0 – 78.0 million spent only for construction excluding other expenses. Further more there is no small rooms built by washers families as you have quoted as said by Mrs. Anusha Liyanamana. All the rooms had been constructed and lease them to the workers by CMC.
It must be emphasized that laundry workers not opposed to move into the new location and no necessity for acquiring the land as it belongs to the CMC. Payment of R. 50,000/- is only for them to provide proper electricity and water connections and cover the initial management expenditure. About 03 workers have paid this amount and UDA expect others will follow the same.
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