Sri Lanka’s President directs quick approval of construction permits
President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa has reportedly directed relevant agencies involved in approving construction permits to speed up their processes.
President Rajapaksa had recently met agencies under Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply.
“Rigid regulations and time consuming process of approving construction plans pose great difficulties to the public,” the President’s Office has said.
It was the responsibility of the government to minimize hardships faced by the public and simplify regulations, President Rajapaksa has been quoted as saying.
In some areas a person who wants to build a house has to get approval from both the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the local government body.
According to reports, some house builders who have gone through difficulties complain that unless they pay some money under the counter, approval is delayed on various pretexts and are usually told come next week, come in three days.
The President’s Office has stated that the officials were also directed that certificates of conformity (after construction) to be issued within a day as there were waiting lists.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is engaged in an aggressive development programme resulting in the overall expansion of the country’s economy as well as business opportunities. Sri Lanka is continuously improving in the ease of doing business environment in the country and the government of Sri Lanka is committed to further developing this segment. As directed by Sri Lanka’s President, authorities are looking at reducing red tape and issuing required permits for businesses as well as development projects in double quick speed. Foreign businesses could therefore explore business opportunities in Sri Lanka.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20200113/Z_1 |