Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka, while addressing a gathering at a ceremony to mark Universal Children’s Day, stated that Colombo will be a shanty free city by 2023. He added that a request had been made to establish more national schools in Colombo with the objective of providing more benefits to children and that the government would work towards uplifting the lives of people in the city in the future. The minister further noted that Colombo is geared to become one of the best economic centres globally – and that due to steps taken by the Urban Development Authority, the construction industry has become a driver of growth whereby even a small contractor could be a part of the development.