|
|
|
| Sunday, 22 January 2006 |
 |
|
 |
Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
From Elmo Leonard in Kandy The owners of the five-storeyed Kandy City Centre (KCC's) face an end-of-the-cliff situation with the public continuing to park on the streets of Kandy, exposing their automobiles to the elements and paying double that of the KCC's parking fee. The developers are incurring a loss of Rs 600,000 per month on its maintenance, a media conference was told. The KCC car park, now has modern convenience parking space for 1,300 vehicles and when completed for 3,000 vehicles. The KCC commercial and shopping complex will cost $56 million, in Dalada Vidiya, Kandy. The complex is designed by Architect, Ashley de Vos, with ultra modern features, embodying Kandyan architecture. Chairman and managing director of Property Finance and Investment Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Thusitha Wijayasena said that the 44,000 square metres floor area will feature the most sought after services and products of many international and top-of-the-class local products. Six of the 10 levels will have direct road access due to the innovative design of the complex, with 2,000 telephone lines, 14 escalators, four lifts, 3MW full-time backup power, and an ultra modern security system will add up to the uniqueness of the complex. The complex meets extreme demand from local and foreign businesses keen on acquiring space. Notwithstanding demand, a careful selection of clients has been made, to ensure a quality selection of services and products. Several leading banks, a fully equipped supermarket, a variety of restaurants, an entertainment zone and a well designed food court, will also feature in the complex, consultant, major general, Neil Dias said. With all facilities available under one roof, the complex is designed to become the commercial hub of the central province, the media was told. To cater to hundreds of tourists visiting Kandy daily, a level of the complex has been set aside for their needs, which will feature top quality handicrafts manufacturers, gem and jewellery makers and tea producers, chartered engineer, D S Danthanarayana said. The highly congested city of Kandy will be relieved by two basement levels of parking, which would prove a solution to the city's car parking problem, Wijayasena said. Sri Lanka's largest multi-storeyed car park is being constructed at an adjacent site. As the second phase of this project, two mini-cinemas and a cultural hall will be developed at the top level of the car park, Danthanarayana said. Once commissioned, the complex will provide 3,800 direct and 10,000 indirect job opportunities. An exclusive taxi service of 65 cars, 26 passenger buses and 12 double-deckers will be introduced to the city. The close-distance taxi service will continue till the late hours providing transportation to the suburbs of the city from the complex. When commissioned, the complex will be Sri Lanka's most innovative commercial complex featuring the latest technology and most modern facilities, De Vos said. Pandemonium reigned with a barrage of questions from the media based in Kandy, including, what right Thusitha Wijayasena and Vidya Jyothi Ashley de Vos had to reconstruct the city of Kandy? All plans were approved by the Urban Development Authority, company lawyer, S R Narayanaswamy said. The project was being done in good faith, the buildings, conforming to Kandyan and Anuradhapura period architecture, providing jobs and modernising the city. The Kandy City Fathers, the police top brass and the property developers did not see eye-to-eye. The problem remained unsolved, as to why the police could not prohibit parking in the streets of Kandy, leaving room for other human activity within the city. The police answered that they had not got a directive from the Kandy Municipal Council to that effect. The politicians present, joined in. Some praised the property developers for a good job done. Others had other views. Chairman Wijayasena said: "If a foreign investor was to develop Kandy, all my countrymen will praise the foreigner. It is because I a Sri Lankan using 100 percent local funds to develop my country, that so find fault with me." In the ensuing free-for-all, the media conference turned into a public
debate, and with the public in participation, Wijayasena was asked how he
found $56 million needed for the project. "Its all my personal funds,"
Wijayasena said. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
