Call for public awareness on National Physical Plan

Bringing the spotlight onto Kalpitiya’s dual potential for wind power and kite-surfing, National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) Director General Ruchira Vithana has underscored the urgent need for public engagement in shaping Sri Lanka’s future. “Kalpitiya is suitable for both windmills and kite surfing.

“We need power generation and we need tourism. At the moment, we are the cushioning layer. We give spatial implementation to the activities. We are providing opportunities for both,” he said at the Advocata Ignite Conference on January 22 at the BMICH. Though presented to the National Council, it has yet to go to the Cabinet Minister and then Parliament for approval.

“The current government told us to submit it to the Cabinet and Parliament. The main thematic areas that will be focused are: conservation of the critical and unique, promotion of livability, optimization of utility and availability and exploration of potential. From its origins in 1946 under the Town and Planning Commission, the NPPD has evolved to take on wide-ranging responsibilities.

“The formulation of national physical planning is our duty, especially land development and marine development,” Vithana said. Emphasizing a vision that now extends to 2050, he noted that environmental considerations such as landslides, disasters, and water conservation are at the forefront. “We are heavily focused on environmentally sensitive areas.Singapore does spatial plan development; we also want to do that.”

Connectivity is another key pillar, with transport, electricity, and other utilities carefully mapped out to support both urban expansion and rural needs.

Vithana cited the rapid transformation of Kottawa following the completion of the expressway as an example of how infrastructure drives human settlement. “What Sri Lanka needs is all thinking coming together to develop the country,” he stated. “To develop the country we need one broad plan as a mechanism.”

Vithana also lamented the tendency of individual ministries to stray from the unified approach when confronted with costs.

“For their territories they will try to do their own business,” he said. He said the resulting human-elephant conflict partly stems from inadequate or poorly executed national physical plans. “If they seriously think about a physical plan, this is the start,” he noted, urging all stakeholders to commit to a shared vision.

Vithana said that if needed they are there to assist smaller local authorities in charting their own development if they do not have technical capability.

As the revised 2023 plan awaits legislative endorsement, Vithana calls on citizens, policymakers and various ministries to rally behind a comprehensive blueprint that balances economic growth, environmental safeguards and diverse community needs. (TP).

Source: Daily News