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

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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

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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
Buddhist 111,330 60.84%
Islam 29,928 16.35%
Hindu 15,978 8.73%
Roman Catholic 12,726 6.95%
Other Christian 8,250 4.51%
Other 4,784 2.61%
Total 182,996 100.00%

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
Sinhalese 128,363 70.15%
Sri Lankan Moor 26,875 14.69%
Sri Lankan Tamil 20,769 11.35%
Burgher 2,609 1.43%
Indian Tamil 2,095 1.14%
Malay 1,102 0.60%
Other 964 0.53%
Sri Lankan Chetty 139 0.08%
Baratha 80 0.04%
Total 182,996 100.00%

Wards

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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# Ward Area (Ha)
1 Wilawila 50.2
2 Dutugemunu 76.9
3 Kohuwela 85.0
4 Kalubowila 50.6
5 Hathbodhiyawatta 40.2
6 Saranankara 36.5
7 Galwala 45.8
8 Dehiwela West 47.5
9 Dehiwela East 46.7
10 Uddyana 51.7
11 Nedimala 74.0
12 Malwatta 36.6
13 Jayatilake 39.5
14 Karagampitiya 40.7
15 Kawudana East 120.7
16 Kawudana West 51.8
17 Mount Lavinia 29.1
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

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Mayors

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Parties

  United National Party   Sri Lanka Freedom Party   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

Name Date of office notes
L. V. Gooneratne 1961-1971 First mayor of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council
Susil De Silva Jayasinghe 1990-1995
Sunethra Ranasinghe 1996-2002
Danasiri Amaratunga 2002-2005 Youngest Mayor in Sri Lanka.[citation needed]
2005-2018
Stanley Dias 2018–present[8]

Departments

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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

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2018 local government election

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References

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  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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka - Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012". Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  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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