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October 2011

President Rajapaksa has said that emphasis will be given to the welfare of city dwellers, minimizing congestion, keeping the city clean, expansion of infrastructure, adequate drinking water and streamlining the transport sector cum road network, maintaining its cultural value, historical significance and scenic beauty.

The President has made these observations addressing the business community and professionals in Kandy last Sunday. The President has also stressed that the 58-year UNP rule in the council had failed to fulfill needs and aspirations of the city dwellers and had also failed to develop Kandy. He has said “Fifty eight years is enough, you and me, both have a responsibility to develop Sri Lanka’s second largest town, Sri Lanka’s last kingdom and one which houses the Sacred “Tooth Relic,” he told the business community and professionals of Kandy. The President has noted that Sri Lanka was taking giant strides in economic and other areas and had emerged as a middle income earning country, and it is necessary to keep Kandy in pace with this rapid development”.

President has also said that the government faced certain difficulties in enacting development work in Kandy due to interference by the UNP led Municipal Council. Despite these obstacles every effort had been taken to develop the city. The development of the roads in and around the city is testimony to the fact he said. The President noted that the government had already spent Rs three billion for development in Kandy during recent times and added that a UPFA led council would further help the government to fast track development in the city. He has urged those present to work towards ensuring a UPFA led Municipal Council at the forthcoming polls to supplement this progress.

http://development.lk/news.php?news=1420

Well, he got his wish and won the Municipal Council. Gota is already becoming involved with Kandy development. Let's see what happens.

A UDA Kandy development plan under Gota was started in August/September 2011

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has directed that the proposed new development plan for Kandy be implemented soon after the conclusion of the Esala Perahera in August. The directive was given early this week when Mr. Rajapaksa met with officials in Kandy where the proposed plans were discussed in detail.

According to the plan, directives were given to improve Kandy city in a manner similar to the way Colombo city was being developed. This includes the beautification of the city, removal of unauthorised structures and providing additional facilities to the public.

About 150 shops will be relocated within the city. Unauthorised houses too will be removed under this plan. Orders were given to the police to remove cut-outs and banners as well. Under the plan, orders were given to reduce congestion within the city by reducing the number of vehicles entering the city, while providing facilities for pedestrians to get about without hindrance.

As per the plan, orders were given to widen pavements and repaint buildings. Officials also told to ensure that the city’s period architecture should be protected and maintained. Only long-distance buses will be permitted to remain halted for brief periods within the town, while all local services will have to drop the passengers and leave immediately.

The area around the Kandy lake will be developed as a picnic area where people can walk around as well as relax. The project will come under the purview of the UDA, which is under the Defence Ministry.

http://sundaytimes.lk/110814/News/nws_10.html

The Hindu newspaper reports Kandy is clean and well maintained (compared to India)


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They say travel broadens the mind. A visit to the small yet beautiful town of Kandy in Sri Lanka has been an eye opener. The beautiful Mahaweli Ganga flows through the town. Unlike in India, the river does not become a sewer after it leaves the town. The water is clean and people enjoy a dip in it at many places. Why are rivers clean in our small but beautiful neighbours' environs, but not in ours? What is it about a culture that treats its city reasonably well, where there is hardly any open defecation, and where you never see people urinating in public? How is it that garbage there is handled so well, just never seen strewn about?

At the centre of the town is the Kandy lake. Again, clean pristine water is found here and people come for a relaxing walk around it. The water supply to the town comes 24/7 i.e. if you open the taps you get water. The water is sweet and can be drunk straight from the tap without any treatment. It speaks well of good catchment management, no pollution, good handling of waste-water and finally, good treatment of the water at the source before it is supplied to households.

http://www.travel-pictures-gallery.com/images/sri-lanka/kandy/kandy-0003.jpg


A miracle? Not exactly. This has been the way it is since the British designed the water supply system. Why is it that no town in India has the ability to supply 24/7 water to its citizens? A question for our governance system, and institutions to answer.

Kandy is a hill town, with many undulations and houses located on many a hill top. A bit like Madikeri. Yet water reaches every house on an hourly basis every day. Investments in infrastructure and in leak prevention have helped. Kandy too has an increasing block tariff and volumetric metering and the price of the water supplied is good enough to recover the operations and maintenance cost of the system. When will we rationalise our water pricing to make it financially sustainable?

The underground sewerage system is limited and many a house has to take care of its own sewage through septic tanks. A well-designed septic tank is insisted upon by the local body before building permission is given. Before the completion certificate or the building occupancy certificate is given, the sewage system is inspected by the engineers of the local body to make sure it has been designed properly and implemented as per design. The inspecting authority also makes sure that the septic tank has enough manholes and is accessible by a vacuum truck for evacuation of sludge when needed and when the system is full. One has never heard of this happening in any town in India. Why cannot we make such systems work?

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The sludge is removed when full and supplied to the innumerable estates of coconut plantations. These are then composted and used as fertilizer. This represents a complete reuse of nutrients and productive sanitation which is non-polluting, at its best. Which town in India can boast of such a system?

No sewage flows in any of the stormwater drains or natural valleys of the town. There is no garbage lying strewn in the valleys and clogging up natural waterways.

To prevent soil erosion and to ensure that there is no flooding during the heavy rains at Kandy, rainwater harvesting is insisted upon for all new buildings. They have to make a recharge pit and soak away the rooftop rainwater into the ground, thus reducing the burden on the stormwater systems. The beautiful rainwater gutters and down-pipes are a joy to watch. Every building has one.

A culture which is clean and functional, institutions that have definite plans and systems , a governance system geared towards the delivery of services to people all result in a quality of life which, though basic, is clean. Is this too much to aspire for in India? A visit to our neighbour down south is highly recommended. Not just a visit but a learning which will look to transform the way towns and cities in India is run vis-à-vis water. Kandy calls.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-propertyplus/article2502028.ece

(images courtesy of several websites. right click on image for source)

Kandy voters will be rewarded with transformed city - minister

The government will dedicate itself to transform historic Kandy into the second most beautiful city in Asia as a mark of honour to the voters of Kandy who ensured a UPFA victory ending over five decades of corrupt UNP administration said Sports Minister and Kandy District Parliamentarian Mahindananda Aluthgamage in a press release yesterday.

The release said the Kandy city development project costing Rs 4 billion is already underway and people of Kandy were enjoying some of its benefits.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/12/pol01.asp

A miracle? Not exactly. This has been the way it is since the British designed the water supply system.

Well this is just crap. Senkadagala had an advanced canal and underground aqueduct system build by Sinhala Kings and brilliant engineering of our ancestors. The British came along and destroyed it when protecting our human rights back in the day as they tried every despicable and inhuman tactic possible involving the destroying paddy fields (turning them into mosquito infested swamps), livestock and our ancient water tanks, spreading disease, famine and filling wells with alcohol to bring our people to ours knees and submit to democracy Hikz.

The “modern” water systems this injun talks about delivering water to peoples homes was developed after Independence into the 1950s, when the KMC actually functioned well.

Credit for keeping Kandy and the natural water ways clean and beautiful should go the people who preserved to some extent the knowledge and attitudes of their ancestors (despite heavy “re-education” campaigns) who understood the importance of the environment and “sustainable” development to maintain balance with nature. Something the West only discovered (and still cares little for) recently, and something the West went out of their way to DESTROY during their vile occupations and imposition of “superior” ways.

Kandy Hotels Corporation (KHC), which comes under the Galle Face Hotel Group, has announced a joint venture with Sino Lanka Hotels Holding (Pvt) Ltd. to construct a 100 room hotel, on the land adjacent to the Suisse Hotel Kandy.

The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 1.2 billion.
The two companies will be equally contributing to the equity of the joint venture and the agreement will be limited to the construction and operation of the hotel.

News on the new development was cheered by investors as the share price of Kandy Hotels rose by Rs. 29.10 to Rs. 240.50 at close on thin volume of 700 shares whilst it hit an intra-day high of Rs. 250. Last week Kandy Hotels’ share price rose by Rs. 8.90 to close at Rs. 211.40 with a volume of 2,600 shares. Its 52-week highest is Rs. 290.

Ceylon Hotels Corporation, control of which is held by Galle Face Hotels Group, holds a 76.5% stake in Kandy Hotels, whilst Curlew Ltd., a related party to Galle Face Hotel, owns a 10% stake.

In the six months ended on 30 September 2010, Kandy Hotels reported a net profit of Rs. 27.5 million, up by 24% over the corresponding period of last financial year. Of that figure, Rs. 25 million profit had come in the second quarter, up from Rs. 20 million a year earlier. Turnover in the first half was Rs. 158 million, up by 37%, whilst in the second quarter share was Rs. 89 million.

FT.LK (http://www.ft.lk/2011/11/01/kandy-hotels-in-jv-to-build-100-room-new-hotel-for-rs-1-2-b/)

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This is huge specially when considered that this is outside of Western Province. The only concern is they don't seem to have any design or atleast the investment amount.

http://www.ft.lk/2013/02/19/gvr-lankas-mixed-development-boi-project-will-be-an-oasis-of-tranquility/