Sri Lanka Army, concerned about the Salawa people’s loss of commercial and business ventures due to the recent blast inside the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) Headquarters, in what could be termed as an exceptional gesture of magnanimity, has generously allocated a 500 m long land stretch, facing Colombo - Awissawella main road for construction of a line of 35 new shop units in place of the blast-affected shops.

On the directions of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, 1 Sri Lanka Engineers (SLE) and 1 Corps of Engineer Services (CES) troops attached to the Security Force Headquarters - West (SFHQ-West), have undertaken the construction project under the supervision of Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander, Security Forces -West at the request of the UDA which allocated a sum of Rs 21 m from their establishment.

Last week the inauguration of the project got to a start after a brief ceremony that saw Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, together with UDA officials cut the first sod and began ground preparation work.

Soon after it is over, the 1 CES troops are expected to commence the construction phase according to the architectural design.

Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva showing his respect for the sensitivities of the blast-affected businessmen who were making a living on rental basis in those gutted shops, instructed Major General Boniface Perera, Commandant, SLAVF to set apart this land patch to construct 35 new shops for those agitating without any source of income.

UDA officials, sponsors for the project, Major General T.N Jayasuriya (Retd), Director General Army Industrial Projects, Mr Bandara Mapa, Divisional Secretary for Seethawaka and several other government officials represented at the sod-cutting ceremony.

Army troops expect to complete the construction project within a couple of weeks.