CCI proposes a steering committee to implement ‘smart city’ projects
View(s):Sri Lanka’s Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) has proposed the appointment of a public/private steering committee to implement projects aimed at transforming the country’s major cities to smart cities.
The members of the committee should be Chairman/DG, Board of Investment (BOI), Urban Development Authority (UDA), Road Development Authority (RDA), Tourism Authority, Chairmen of the private chambers like the CCC and CCI and 2 or 3 directors from the corporate sector involved in infrastructure development /tourism.
The Committee should be entrusted with the task of drawing up a strategic development plan, initially for the Colombo region and thereafter for other regions, according to a proposal made by CCI President Surath Wickremasinghe in a letter sent to the Chairman BOI Lakshman Jayaweera on Tuesday September 9th. The UDA is presently on the right track towards making Colombo a ‘smart city’ with commencement of relocation of the underserved settlements in alternative locations and in using the liberated prime land for urban regeneration.
“It should prepare a comprehensive land use plan with proper zoning 5 km from the city centre to provide a world class infrastructure, towards a ‘smart city’ which will comprise of high end commercial and business hub, hotels and apartment complexes, academic institutions, hospitals entertainment, leisure and recreation to attract the big players in the world of business,” Mr. Wickremasinghe pointed out.
Another aspect of the proposed smart city project is to implement an integrated tourism development plan to provide world class leisure, recreation and entertainment activities for the tourists to participate. Due to scarcity of land it will be necessary to provide recreation activities for cricket, football, rugby, etc off the expressways, away from the city while the other activities could be integrated in liberated areas in the city, he added. The BOI /UDA should give priority to promote branded golf courses by providing land for local and foreign investors to attract Japanese, Korean and Chinese and other Asian golfers who are generally high spenders, he emphasised.
In his letter to the BOI Chairman, Mr. Wickremasinghe noted that the CCI has been promoting the setting up of an Infrastructure Development Fund to support its members as well as to provide funds for infrastructure projects in the country with foreign and local investment.
A proposal has already been prepared in this connection and the CCI is seeking the assistance of BOI to obtain Finance Ministry approval to set up the fund, he revealed.
He noted that architects, consulting engineers and contractors in particular are facing a huge challenge in obtaining work on BOI approved projects, undertaken by foreign investors /developers.
Most of them bring their own contractors and even labour, he highlighted in his letter requesting the BOI Chairman to include in their agreements with the foreign investors or developers that on all projects the Sri Lankan counterpart should be allocated at least 50 per cent of the consultancy and construction on a joint venture basis.