Only UPFA can overcome Colombo challenges – Muzammil

Colombo Municipal Council UPFA candidate Mohamed Muzammil said it is only the UPFA that can overcome the challenges that confront the Colombo Municipal Council. “The main burning issue is lack of housing. Over 65,000 people living in Colombo do not have houses and even the families who have housing do not have proper houses with basic facilities”.

“The second issue is corruption and lack of faith and confidence on the CMC administration. The third issue is anti-social activities. The UPFA can face all these three challenges,” Muzammil told the Daily News yesterday.

Muzammil said that the entire income the CMC gets through tax is Rs 7 billion.

”People in Colombo hate the CMC and condemn it because it has done nothing for them for years. Only the UPFA can regain this lost confidence. Rs 7 billion is spent to pay salaries and carry out other routine functions such as maintenance of roads etc. This income is not adequate to launch new development projects, especially to provide new housing for the people,” he said. Central government assistance is a must to launch new development projects in the CMC. Therefore the relationship between the Central government and the CMC can be compared to a relationship between a mother and the child, Muzammil said.

”The UNP distributes leaflets during elections. They cannot do anything. They say they do not need the central government’s assistance to build houses for slum dwellers but they cannot do what they say. If so, they should have done that before without waiting till elections,” he added.

 

Courtesy: Daily News