Vendors of popular street food stalls in Kimbulawala near the Parliament of Sri Lanka have been ordered to vacate by Friday, the 24th of February 2023.
The vendors revealed that they were issued letters from the Ministry of Urban Development Authority (UDA) to vacate the premises and that the order had been issued by Minister Bandula Gunawardena.
Stating that the stalls had been set up by people who had been severely affected during the Covid pandemic, the vendors stated that currently there are nearly 30 operational street food stalls in Kimbulawala.
Meanwhile, a meeting on relocating the street food stalls in Kimbulawala is scheduled to be held at the UDA at 2.30 pm today.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva today raised concerns in Parliament over reports pertaining to a decision by the UDA to evict the street food stalls in Kimbulawala.
Responding to the SJB MP, Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardena said attention has been drawn to the matter due to the risks posed to pedestrians and vehicles on the road.
“We have considered the dangers posed to pedestrians and vehicles on the road in the said area. We have also identified 3000 spots that are easily accessible to the public. Therefore, measures are being taken to evict any stall across Sri Lanka that is considered to pose a risk of accident to pedestrians as well as vehicles,” the minister stated.
Also expressing views, the Minister of Urban Development Prasanna Ranatunga said that the UDA has received several complaints from other store owners in the area.
“Initially business operations were from Friday to Sunday in the evenings only. But now the street food stalls are operational every day. Stores on the other side of the road have filed complaints stating that they are unable to run their businesses as a result. Therefore, the UDA is looking at introducing a system for the street food stalls to follow when conducting business,” the minister stated. (NewsWire)