Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council

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]

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council
Type
Type
History
Preceded byDehiwala-Mount Lavinia Urban Council (1940-1959)
Wellawatte-Galkissa Electoral District (1947-1960)
Leadership
Stanley Dias, (SLPP)
Deputy Mayor
Vacant, (UNP)
Structure
Seats48
Political groups
Government
  •   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (19)
  •   United People's Freedom Alliance (6)

Opposition

CommitteesSee Departments
Length of term
Four years
Elections
Mixed
Last election
10 February 2018
Next election
9 March 2023
Meeting place
Galle Rd, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka
Website
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council

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 16.3 km2 (6.3 sq mi). 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 2,109 ha (5,210 acres) 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.

Population by Religion (2012)

  Buddhists (60.84%)
  Muslims (16.35%)
  Hinduism (8.73%)
  Catholics (6.95%)
  Other Christians (4.51%)
  Other (2.62%)
Religious Identification in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipality area [4][5]
Population (2012) % of Total
Buddhist111,33060.84%
Islam29,92816.35%
Hindu15,9788.73%
Roman Catholic12,7266.95%
Other Christian8,2504.51%
Other4,7842.61%
Total182,996100.00%

Population by Ethnicity (2012)

  Sinhalese (70.15%)
  Sri Lankan Moors (14.69%)
  Sri Lankan Tamils (11.35%)
  Other (3.81%)
Ethnic Identification in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipality area [4][6]
Population (2012) % of Total
Sinhalese128,36370.15%
Sri Lankan Moor26,87514.69%
Sri Lankan Tamil20,76911.35%
Burgher2,6091.43%
Indian Tamil2,0951.14%
Malay1,1020.60%
Other9640.53%
Sri Lankan Chetty1390.08%
Baratha800.04%
Total182,996100.00%

Wards

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia municipality is the second largest in Sri Lanka covering 21.09 km2 (8.14 sq mi). 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.[3]

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

No#WardArea (Ha)
1Wilawila50.2
2Dutugemunu76.9
3Kohuwela85.0
4Kalubowila50.6
5Hathbodhiyawatta40.2
6Saranankara36.5
7Galwala45.8
8Dehiwela West47.5
9Dehiwela East46.7
10Uddyana51.7
11Nedimala74.0
12Malwatta36.6
13Jayatilake39.5
14Karagampitiya40.7
15Kawudana East120.7
16Kawudana West51.8
17Mount Lavinia29.1
18Vidyalaya74.9
19Wattarappola39.5
20Katukurundawatta115.8
21Atthidiya North114.3
22Wathumulla54.6
23Wedikanda64.3
24Pirivena63.2
25Atthidiya South140.2
26Vihara68.3
27Ratmalana West38.4
28Ratmalana East106.3
29Kadawala305.6
Total2,109

Council

Mayors
Parties

  United National Party   Sri Lanka Freedom Party   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

Name Date of office notes
L. V. Gooneratne1961-1971First mayor of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council
Susil De Silva Jayasinghe1990-1995
Sunethra Ranasinghe 1996-2002
Danasiri Amaratunga 2002-2005 Youngest Mayor in Sri Lanka.
2005-2018
Stanley Dias2018–present[8]

Departments

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

  • Department of Administration
  • Department of Finance
  • Department of Engineers
  • Department of Mechanical Engineers
  • Department of Legal
  • Department of Health and Solid Waste Magagement
  • Department of Sport and Social Welfare
  • Department of Electrical
  • Department of Fire
  • Department of Health

Election results

References
  1. Dissanayake, Chathuri (5 December 2017). "LG polls cost to hit Rs. 4 b". Daily FT. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  2. Marasinghe, Sandasen; Mudalige, Disna (25 August 2017). "Amended Local Government Elections Bill approved in Parliament". Daily News. Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  3. Wijayapala, SLF (October 2003). City Profile Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council (PDF). UN – Habitat Sustainable Cities Programme & Sustainable Sri Lankan Cities Programme (SSLCP). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  4. "Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012".
  5. "Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by divisional secretariat division, religion and sex- 2012" (PDF).
  6. "Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by divisional secretariat division, religion and sex- 2012" (PDF).
  7. "Ward Map of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council - Colombo District" (PDF). Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  8. "SLPP's Stanley Dias elected Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Mayor". Colombo Gazette. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  9. "Departments". Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
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