5. Amendment of section 18A of the principal enactment

Official English translation. Where it differs from the Sinhala or Tamil text, the Act itself says which text prevails.

Section 18A of the principal enactment is hereby amended as follows :—

(1)

in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of that section by the substitution for the words “for residential purposes and constructed at least fifty years prior to the date of the application ;”, of the words “for residential or business purposes and constructed at least forty years prior to the date of the application ;”;

(2)

in subsection (2) of that section –

(a)

by the substitution, in paragraph (a), for the words “residential units”, of the words

“residential or business units”;

(b)

by the repeal of paragraph (b) of that subsection, and the substitution therefor, of the following paragraph :–

“(b)

(i)

order the owner of such building to provide alternate accommodation for the tenant, if any, of such building, in the same vicinity during the period of construction and until the building is completed for occupation or business, as the case may be, or alternatively a sum equivalent to two years’

rent in advance to the tenant to enable him to arrange alternate accommodation of a temporary nature until the owner completes the construction of the new building for occupation or business as the case may be ; or

(ii)

order the owner of such building to pay to the tenant thereof, such compensation as the Commissioner determines to be reasonable, for the loss of possession by such tenant ;

so however that the amount ordered to be so paid shall in no case be less than ten years’

annual value of the premises calculated as at the date of the application for demolition or twenty per centum of the market value of the premises as determined by the Chief

Valuer as at the date of the application for demolition or rupees one hundred and fifty thousand, whichever is higher.” . and

(3)

in subsection (7) of that section by the substitution for the words “residential units”, of the words

“residential or business units”.

Read on from s 6