News
Horana wails over move to shift Welikada jail complex to Millewa
View(s):Resistance could grow to the move to relocate the Welikada prison complex to Millewa in Horana, if communities and local organisations are not given proper information about the project, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report has warned.
Most community members and even local level agency officers were not fully aware of the proposed project, its components and possible impacts, said the EIA report, which is now available for public comment. Community leaders and grassroots level agency officials expressed the concern of some community members.
“In future, it can be assumed that some resistance may emerge if proper information about the project is not received by stakeholders such as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community-based Organisations (CBOs) says the EIA, carried out by Consortium of Consultants for Sustainable Development (CCSD) on behalf of the Urban Development Authority (UDA).”
“We heard in the recent past that this land would be used to established light industries, but we do not know what has happened to that proposal,” the report cites community leaders are saying.
“Most of the community members and community leaders were happy about the previous proposal to use this land for light industries which would generate jobs and income for local youth.”
The study team also met representatives of local stakeholders, including religious and other community leaders, who feared there could be “some illegal actions” that could take place due to the prison being shifted to Millewa.
“This is mainly because of the information about illegal activities, such as drugs and weapons smuggling, frequently reported from prisons in Sri Lanka. This is the concern specifically expressed by the families living in the land adjacent to the project,” the report said.
The EIA has recommended that the project developer takes “prudent action to make local stakeholders aware about the proposed project, its components and the progress.” It calls for a participatory approach in implementing the more sensitive parts of the initiative to establish “a conducive and friendly environment in the area.”
The Government has expressed determination to shift the Welikada prison with the EIA observing that the Welikada jail complex was built in 1941, was overcrowded and non-habitable. There are two reasons for shifting it, the report says: Converting the presently underutilised prison premises to productive urban uses and developing a new prison complex based on modern standards.
About 250 acres of rubber will be uprooted to allow for the construction of the prison. Some of the components to be re-established in the new facility are prison buildings (magazine, female, Welikada and remand prison), the prison hospital, staff quarters, training centre, intelligence unit and community-based correction centre.