Special attention drawn to challenges faced in resuming projects that were halted due to economic crisis

Special attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and officials has been drawn to the challenges faced in resuming projects that were halted due to the recent economic crisis as well as in sustaining on-going projects.

Meanwhile, President Dissanayake has emphasized the importance of ensuring that projects initiated this year are steered towards achieving their specific targets within the same year.

He has further pointed out that while the government allocates sufficient provisions to the relevant Ministries, failure to utilize those funds effectively within the stipulated timeframe becomes a serious concern.

These remarks were made during a meeting to review the projects implemented under the 2025 budget allocations for the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing.

The pre-budget discussions for 2026 was held at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The discussions focused on a wide range of sectors including urban and rural housing projects, urban development initiatives, city planning, solid waste management and environmental protection projects, as well as water supply and sanitation projects. The current progress of projects being implemented across all provinces of the country in these areas was also reviewed in detail, according to the President’s Media Division.

The President also highlighted the need to give priority to the views and aspirations of local communities when undertaking housing and building construction as well as urban planning projects. He noted that due to ad-hoc construction projects carried out by previous administrations based solely on their preferences, many government buildings across the country remain underutilized or entirely unused today, the PMD added.