Discussion held on Anuradhapura Sacred City Development Plan

Chief of Presidential Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi and Acting Deputy High Commissioner/First Secretary of the High Commission of India Roshini Thomson led a discussion yesterday afternoon (30) at the Presidential Secretariat on the Anuradhapura Sacred City Development Plan.

The initial cost of implementing the Anuradhapura Sacred City Development Plan is currently estimated at Rs. 7.7 billion. The Government of India is expected to provide the financial contribution required for the project, which is expected to commence before the end of this year.

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Sri Lanka, he expressed his agreement to provide assistance for a Sacred City development project when he visited the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura. Accordingly, the Urban Development Authority and the Department of National Physical Planning have proposed jointly implementing development activities in the Anuradhapura Sacred City.

The jointly prepared draft proposal has already been submitted to the High Commission of India, and the discussion focused on the proposal.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently held discussions with the Maha Sangha and all relevant stakeholders regarding the Anuradhapura Sacred City Development Plan and instructed officials to expedite the project.

Under the project, a range of development programmes are to be launched while preserving the antiquity and religious character of the Anuradhapura Sacred City. These will include renovating access roads, ensuring the proper disposal of waste, improving sanitation facilities and restoring all dilapidated sites.

Among those present were Second Secretary (DC) at the High Commission of India Ramya C. S., Director General of the Department of National Physical Planning W.T.H. Ruchira Withana, Director General of the Urban Development Authority D.M.D.S. Dissanayake and Director of the Department of External Resources Chandrika Senanayake, along with senior officials of the High Commission of India and officials from relevant institutions.