Municipal Engineer's Department

Emergency Numbers(

The Deputy Municipal Commissioner is responsible for the provision of major infrastructure services such as roads and drainage. By virtue of this he has statutory responsibilities and authority for these aspects. He is supported by Directors of Engineering responsible for the divisions providing direct services to the public and internal support services to other CMC departments.

Divisions

Traffic Design & Road Safety
Projects
City Planning
Water Supply
Drainage
Works
Lands and Environmental Development
Solid Waste Management
Municipal Workshop

District Offices

Most services to the public, including garbage collection, maintenance of minor roads and buildings are conducted from district offices, established to allow citizens to get their problems attended to locally without necessarily having to travel to the Town Hall.Each District Office is headed by the District Engineer who could be contacted on the following Telephone Nos.

	District 1 63, Mahakumarage Mw, Colombo 14 Telephone : (011) 2447128 or (011) 2434518 Fax : (011) 2434518	District 2A 163, Mihindu Mw, Colombo 12 Telephone : (011) 2431694 or               (011) 2323489 Fax : (011) 2323489
	District 3 Borella community centre Building, Campbell Park, Colombo 8 Telephone : (011) 2698673 Fax : (011) 2698673	District 2B 37, Sri Jinaratana Mw, Hunupitiya, Colombo 2 Telephone : (011) 2436888 or (011) 2329283 Fax : (011) 2436888
	District 5 Manning Place,  Wellawatta, Colombo 6 Telephone : (011) 2582778 Fax : (011) 2582778	District 4 Robert Gunawardana Mw, Kirillapone, Colombo 6 Telephone : (011) 2852673 Fax : (011) 2852673

The more frequent contacts that you require in respect of the public services may be related to:

• Traffic arrangements and parking
• Obtaining planning approval to construct or modify a building
• Road maintenance and maintenance of parks and public places
• Waste collection and disposal
• Water supply
• Street lighting
• sewerage and rainwater drainage

For resolving any problem or any assistance regarding these services, please contact the Head of Division responsible for the service in question. These are set out in the following pages.

Some of the more common inquiries and complaints we receive tend to be in respect of:

• Pot Hole in the Roads
• Rainwater Stagnation
• Nauseating Odours
• Overflowing Septic Tanks
• Blocked Sewers or Drains
• Dumping of Waste
• Non Functional Street Lights
• Approval of Building Plans
• Sathutu Uyana
• Failure to Collect Garbage
• Failure of Water Supply
• Unauthorized Structures
• Subdivision of Lands

For any of the said problems, you should contact the Officer in your District (see page 3). However, if there is no timely response, please contact the Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Engineering Services), directly on any of the above telephone numbers.

The Recreational Park ‘Sathutu Uyana’ also comes under the purview of this department.

Traffic Design & Road Safety Division

This division was set up to develop the traffic management of city’s road network to ensure a smooth and safe vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The Division also provides consultancy services to all physical development related activities in the Council.

It is also engaged in providing detailed architectural and structural designs for buildings, design of roads and intersections and cost estimates, to other Departments of the Council.

It is also responsible for road markings, installation of traffic signs and traffic signals and maintenance; implementation of traffic management schemes and management of parking facilities.

Should you have traffic-related problems or new proposals, comments and ideas to develop city Road and traffic infrastructure, please contact the Director Engineering (TD&RS) directly.

Projects Division

Director Engineering (Projects) Head Office: Town Hall Telephone-(011) 2692403.or.(011) 2691191.Ext-252

This division co-ordinates and manages all construction work for the Council let under contracts. The work includes contract administration and supervision of Construction Projects.

Management and construction of pre-selected Council projects under direct labour basis is also a part of the responsibilities of the division.

This division also coordinates all projects proposed under allocations of Municipal Councillors’ and projects referred to C.M.C by the Western Provincial Council and Members of Parliament under Decentralized Budget.

Should you have any inquires about these works, you should, in the first instance contact the Director of this Division, Director Engineering (Projects).

City Planning Division

The construction or modification of any building in the City is subject to issue of a building permit obtained from this Division which deals with all aspects of building and land controls.

This Division is responsible for approving all buildings, condominium plans and sub-division proposals. Certificates of conformity are issued only on satisfactory completion of the building work. Also responsible for issuing of Street/Building Gas Certificates and Machinery Permits.

In respect of unauthorized structures or violation of planning and building regulations, this Division will initiate legal action against offenders. It also controls advertisement boards in the city.

• Public interviews are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.
• A guide book explaining the procedure in obtaining planning permission along with building approvals is available at the City Planning Division

Water Supply Division

The distribution of pipe-borne water supplied from the head works of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, is the responsibility of this Division. Requests for new connections should be addressed to this Division which also deals with breakdowns in supply, inadequate supply and special arrangements for bowser supply. Please notify us in case of leakages of the distribution pipes by contacting the Engineer at Head Office, Maligakanda.

Drainage Division

This Division manages the entire drainage system, including the sewer network and sewer pumping stations in the city. Septic tanks are emptied free of charge.

All drainage construction works, including construction of septic tanks, in the city should have the prior approval of this division before commencement of work.

All applications for sewer connections, construction of sewers on private roads and clearance of non-domestic major blockages should be addressed to the engineer at the Head Office, Maligakanda.Requests for clearing of household blockages should be directed to your respective District Office.

The Division also maintains the rainwater drainage system in the City. The system includes open drains, underground drains and outfalls. However the main canals in the City are owned and maintained by the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation and inquiries and complaints about canals should be addressed to:

Works Division

The Works Division is responsible for the maintenance of all Public Roads and Municipal Buildings in the City. Maintenance of Recreational Parks such as Viharamahadevi Park, tree cutting also falls within the purview of this Division. Maintenance and rehabilitation of major roads in the city are the responsibility of the Central Road Maintenance Unit, based in the Town Hall.

The Unit is also responsible for approving all applications for excavations of roads necessary for the maintenance and development of the city’s service infrastructure such as underground water pipes and electrical and telephone cables.

Maintenance of all roads and issuing of road excavation permits are the responsibility of District Engineers. Please address all initial inquiries to the District Engineer of your area. (Telephone Nos. of District Engineers are given in page 03.)

Lands and Environmental Development Division

This Division is the custodian of Council lands and handles acquisition of lands, payment of compensation and leasing. In respect of your building plans contact this division for demarcation of street lines, building lines, arcade lines, fire gap lines. Please get ascertained the street lines before purchase of any land. Never build without demarcating the street line.

Director Engineering (Development)

Please refer the Institutional Development Division

Solid Waste Management

The city generates over 600 tons of garbage daily and this Division carries out its collection, transportation and disposal. This division which is also responsible for planning new waste collection methods, seeks public assistance to get rid of roadside collection points.

Special collection of non-hazardous materials can be arranged for a nominal fee. Please contact the Engineer in your District.

The Management Unit is based in the Town Hall and the operations are carried out through the District Offices

Collection & Transportation of Garbage in districts 1, 2A and 5 is handled by private operators. Other districts are handled direct labour.

Council has signed an agreement with a private sector to construct, operate & maintain a compost plant with an associated land fill site for a period of 25 years.

The plant will be ready for operation in September 2002.

Pilots projects have been started on recycling & home composting to reduce the amount of garbage generated in the city.

Any problems in respect of this service, such as failure to collect garbage from residential premises, should be addressed to the Director (Engineering) at the Town Hall.

Municipal Workshop

The Council is responsible for the operation and maintenance of over 10,000 streetlights in the City. At present, most are switched on by lamplighters although the Council has plans to install automatic switching.

Should you have any problem about street lighting, please contact the Superintending Engineer at the Municipal Workshops.

The Council is responsible for the operation and maintenance of over 10,000 street lights in the City. At present most are switched on by Lamp Lighters, although the Council has plans to install Automatic Switching. This section is headed by the Superintending Engineer (Electrical) and assisted by Technical Officers.

Should you have any problem about street lighting?
Please contact Complaint Desk at Street Lighting
Division in order to pass the message to Area
Technical Officers.

Officers hours - (011) 2696161 – Ext. 238, (011) 2691952
Night and Holidays – (011) 2696161    Ext 238
If the compliant is still not attended within three days, please contact Superintending Engineer.

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