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City of Kandy could be beautified at minimal cost: UN expert
Professor Marcos Finka, Director of the Center for Excellence of the European Union and a member of the Panel of Experts with UN Habitat (the United Nations Human Settlements Programme) in an interview with the Sunday Times said ‘Kandy is an enchanting City and could be beautified with little expense via co-operation with the business establishments.
Prof. Finka with workshop participants
“If the people involved in developing the city request business establishments to take down their larger than life hoardings, the city would look much better,” Professor Marcos said.
“The addition of a flower pot or two on either side of their business houses would beautify the city,” he added.
Professor Finka was speaking after a field visit with the participants at a training workshop on ‘Urban Landscape and Ecology Planning’ around Kandy and particularly in Udawattekelle.
Professor Finka is also a Director of the Slovak Universtiy of Technology.
He stressed the ‘Udawattkelle’ which he described as a ‘rain forest’ was being underutilized. He emphasised greater attention should be paid to attracting domestic tourists to the forest via creation of more facilities and provision of more information of the wonders within the Udawattekelle to foreign tourists.
‘Some trees have been planted recently he said , but most of the trees are old and local and foreign tourists should be provided greater opportunities for study tours and walks in this forest’, he said.
He complimented the authorities for their maintenance of the Kandy Lake saying that it was well kept, but said the hoardings and multiplicity of buildings took away from its beauty.
While “one cannot pull down these buildings, owners could be encouraged to plant trees/plants around them he said.
Another measure he suggested was to curb future constructions in areas overlooking the lake.
Dr. Lalitha Dissanayake, co-ordinator of the progrmme, said it is the first time the University of Peradeniya had been involved with the development of Kandy as a Heritage City.
UDA Director H.W. Somaratne, said the involvement of the university gave the programme an additional impetus and welcomed all assistance from the University. He also welcomed a suggestion of the Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University -Professor Upul Dissanayake- who suggested the creation of a ‘University City’ in proximity to the University.
She added that when the University was first established, the town of Kandy was deemed a University City, but over time the idea was dropped.
Professor Finka said that he has been in and out of Sri Lnaka over the last 12 yeas and he has found Kandy has changed, but its original identity could be maintained through insistence that new buildings follow the patterns of the original buildings.