Sri Lanka to declare new Chinese built city as part of the country

By APD Writer Easwaran

COLOMBO, Oct. 25 (APD) – Sri Lanka on Wednesday said it will declare a new Chinese built city as part of Sri Lanka once the land reclamation is completed.

A total of around 269 hectares of sea is being filled by a Chinese company to create the new city and part of it will be developed by the government and the rest by the Chinese company.

Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Champika Ranawaka told reporters at the site of the Port City that almost 50 percent of the reclamation work has been completed for the project.

He said that once the reclamation work is over the President will declare the new land as part of Sri Lanka and as a special urban development area.

Ranawaka said that once the reclamation work is completed the Chinese partners and the Sri Lankan government will call for expressions of interest to develop the land.

The Minister said that the Prime Minister's office is at present working on the legal system which will apply to the new property which will be part of the Port City.

"Once the land reclamation is completed we need to introduce a new piece of legislation," he said.

Champika Ranawaka said that reclamation work for the new city will be completed in 2019 but proposals will be sought to develop the land after stage one of the reclamation work is completed.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)