Colombo Opposition Councillors Criticise Municipal Council Over Repeated Flooding and Tax Increases

Opposition members of the Colombo Municipal Council have criticised the council's administration over repeated flooding in the city, rising taxes and what they described as a lack of effective action to address residents' concerns.

The councillors raised these issues at a media briefing convened to discuss the recent flooding in Colombo.

Speaking at the briefing, United National Party (UNP) Group Leader Albert Sampath said Colombo had experienced flooding twice within a single week. He also referred to forecasts indicating further heavy rainfall from November 15 onwards.

Sampath questioned the performance of the Colombo Municipal Council administration, noting that nearly two years had passed since it assumed power. He recalled that promises had been made to transform the city within six months.

He also questioned whether the administration's earlier promises had been fulfilled, saying opposition councillors had repeatedly warned about the possibility of such flooding incidents.

Concerns Over Tax Increases

Sampath expressed concern over what he described as excessive taxation imposed on Colombo residents.

He alleged that taxes had increased by as much as 1,500 per cent and accused the council of imposing taxes on residents across a wide range of services and items.

He further alleged that decisions within the Colombo Municipal Council were being influenced by political affiliations rather than the needs of the public.

Questioning the administration's financial priorities, Sampath said collecting money and building up treasury reserves would serve little purpose unless those funds were used to improve services and infrastructure for residents.

He also criticised the Mayor's handling of the council budget and called on the administration to step down if it was unable to fulfil its responsibilities.

Municipal councillors N.P. Sunanda, Araliya Devapalan and Mohamed Muhari also addressed the media briefing, expressing their views on the issues facing Colombo residents.