Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena has announced a decisive plan to tackle Kandy’s growing traffic congestion, focusing on the underuse of pedestrian underpass network in the city.

Speaking to the media, the Deputy Minister revealed that while underpass systems exist in central Kandy and nearby areas such as Getambe, they remain largely unused due to several preventable issues. These include unauthorised street vendors occupying the entrances, beggars loitering in the area, and general cleanliness concerns.

“It is unfortunate that despite investing heavily in building these underpasses, the public is reluctant to use them,” he said. “We’ve decided to give a grace period of one month for these spaces to be cleared and made accessible.”

Within this period, all unauthorised vendors operating near underpasses must relocate to designated legal spaces. Beggars also must vacate the premises. Following this cleanup, the use of underpasses for road crossings will become mandatory, with strict legal enforcement against surface-level crossings.

Particular attention was drawn to the situation in Getambe, where both a zebra crossing and an underpass exist. According to the Deputy Minister, this dual arrangement contributes to traffic congestion as most pedestrians opt for the zebra crossing. Discussions will be held with the nearby temple authorities regarding the potential removal of the painted crossing to ensure religious practices are not affected, especially the operation of nearby donation boxes.

“We’re committed to implementing these changes without disrupting the activities of the temple or the community,” Gunasena assured.

He added that once the zebra crossing is removed, all pedestrians will be required to use the underpass. The timeline for implementation will be announced following discussions with the Sri Lanka Police.