The owner of the five-storey building that collapsed on Thursday has been remanded after he surrendered to the Police on Saturday evening.
The five-storey building collapsed last Thursday killing two and injuring 21 people.
One of the injured in the collapse died on admission to the hospital on Thursday night and another body of a youth was recovered on Friday.
“The 62-year-old owner of the building ‘The Excellency,’a hotel and a banquet hall in Wellawatte, will be produced before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court,’the Police said.
Meanwhile, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the building that collapsed was an unauthorised construction and stern legal action will be taken against the perpetrators.
Minister Ranawaka said that the primary survey was conducted by the Engineers Corporation had revealed that the building collapsed due to structural failure. Addressing the media following the building’s collapse, he pointed out that building on strips of lands adjacent to canals was illegal.
He said that although the owner had got approval for a housing plan in 2009, he had not obtained the compliance certificate for the building.
Later, he had turned it into a reception hall and extended the building area utilising the canal bank.
“The portion that collapsed was built adjacent to the originally approved building and that was being constructed in the canal reservation area,” he said.
The Minister said that he had written to the Inspector General of Police to take legal action under the Penal Code against the owner.