Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Explained

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council
House Type:Local authority
Body:Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Leader1 Type:Mayor
Leader1:Stanley Dias
Last Election1:10 February 2018
Next Election1:9 March 2023
Leader2 Type:Deputy Mayor
Leader2:Vacant
Seats:48
Structure1:File:Sri Lanka Dehiwala Municipal Council 2020.svg
Structure1 Res:200px
Political Groups1:Government

Opposition

Committees1:See Departments
Term Length:Four years
Voting System1:Mixed
Meeting Place:Galle Rd, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council (DMMC) is the local authority for the city of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia in Sri Lanka. The Council is responsible for providing a variety of local public services including roads, sanitation, drains, housing, libraries, public parks and recreational facilities. It has 48 members elected under the mixed electoral system where 60% of members will be elected using first-past-the-post voting and the remaining 40% through closed list proportional representation.[1] [2]

History

The area covered by the present Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council was part of the Kingdom of Kotte. It comprised a number of villages, including Pepiliyana Nedimala, Attidiya and Kalubowila. The areas south of Dehiwala together with Ratmalana were one large expanse of marshland that was sparsely populated.

In the late 16th century the Kingdom of Kotte was ruled by the Portuguese controlled king, Dharmapala. The administrative structure of the area during this time was the Gansabha system as prevailed earlier. In the early 17th century, the Dutch brought a more organised administrative structure from which a broad based taxation and legal system evolved. In the 19th century the British replaced this with a provincial administrative (Kachcheri) system, which led to the current form of local government developing.

In 1937 Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia was a local body of six wards extending over 16.3km2. In 1959 this area was extended and divided into nineteen wards and given municipal status because of its rapid urban growth and for administrative reasons. In 1967 the municipal area of approximately 2109ha was apportioned into 29 wards, as it exists today.[3]

Demographics

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipality area is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city.

+ Religious Identification in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipality area [4] [5]
Population (2012) % of Total
Buddhist111,330 60.84%
Islam29,928 16.35%
Hindu15,978 8.73%
Roman Catholic12,726 6.95%
Other Christian8,250 4.51%
Other4,784 2.61%
Total 182,996 100.00%
+ align=topEthnic Identification in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipality area [6]
Population (2012) % of Total
Sinhalese128,363 70.15%
Sri Lankan Moor26,875 14.69%
Sri Lankan Tamil20,769 11.35%
Burgher2,609 1.43%
Indian Tamil2,095 1.14%
Malay1,102 0.60%
Other964 0.53%
Sri Lankan Chetty139 0.08%
Baratha80 0.04%
Total 182,996 100.00%

Wards

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia municipality is the second largest in Sri Lanka covering 21.09sqkm. It lies to the south of the Colombo Municipal Council area separated by the Dehiwala canal which acts as the northern boundary of the municipality. Borupana Road lies at the southern limits and Weras Ganga to the east.

There are 29 wards in the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council.[7]

No# Ward Area (Ha)
1 Wilawila 50.2
2 Dutugemunu 76.9
3 Kohuwela85.0
4 50.6
5 Hathbodhiyawatta 40.2
6 Saranankara 36.5
7 Galwala 45.8
8 Dehiwela West47.5
9 Dehiwela East46.7
10 Uddyana 51.7
11 Nedimala74.0
12 Malwatta 36.6
13 Jayatilake 39.5
14 Karagampitiya 40.7
15 Kawudana East120.7
16 Kawudana West 51.8
17 Mount Lavinia29.1
18 Vidyalaya 74.9
19 Wattarappola 39.5
20 Katukurundawatta 115.8
21 Atthidiya North 114.3
22 Wathumulla 54.6
23 Wedikanda 64.3
24 Pirivena 63.2
25 Atthidiya South 140.2
26 Vihara 68.3
27 Ratmalana West 38.4
28 Ratmalana East 106.3
29 Kadawala 305.6
Total 2,109

Council

Mayors

Parties
scope=col colspan="2"Namescope=colDate of officescope=colnotes
1961-1971 First mayor of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council
Susil De Silva Jayasinghe 1990-1995
Sunethra Ranasinghe1996-2002
Danasiri Amaratunga2002-2005Youngest Mayor in Sri Lanka.
2005-2018
!align="center" style="background:; color:white;"Stanley Dias 2018–present[8]

Departments

The Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council comprises ten departments:[9]

Election results

2018 local government election

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Dissanayake. Chathuri. LG polls cost to hit Rs. 4 b. 23 December 2017. Daily FT. 5 December 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  2. News: Marasinghe. Sandasen. Mudalige. Disna. Amended Local Government Elections Bill approved in Parliament. Daily News. 25 August 2017. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  3. Book: Wijayapala. SLF. City Profile Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. October 2003. UN – Habitat Sustainable Cities Programme & Sustainable Sri Lankan Cities Programme (SSLCP). 12 February 2018. 31 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171031150715/http://www.fukuoka.unhabitat.org/programmes/scp/sri_lanka/pdf/CCA_1-3_DMMC_City_Profile.pdf. dead.
  4. Web site: Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012 . 2018-04-13 . 2016-11-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161101151718/http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/index.php?fileName=pop32&gp=Activities&tpl=3 . dead .
  5. Web site: Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by divisional secretariat division, religion and sex- 2012 .
  6. Web site: Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by divisional secretariat division, religion and sex- 2012 .
  7. Web site: Ward Map of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council - Colombo District. 12 February 2018.
  8. News: SLPP’s Stanley Dias elected Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Mayor. Colombo Gazette. 26 March 2018. 13 April 2018.
  9. Web site: Departments. Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. 12 February 2018.