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| DIVISIONS |
Valuation Sector
The Department provides services to State and affiliated institutions in the sphere of Valuation and Property Management, where work of the Department could be identified as ‘General Valuation’ and ‘Rating Valuation’, in vast.
- General Valuation (Capital Value & Rental Value related Valuations and Services)
- Preparation of Condition Reports in respect of private lands, which are compulsorily acquired for public purposes under Section 38 (a) of the Land Acquisition Act, and subsequent preparation of valuations for payment of compensation in respect of such lands under the provisions of the Act.
- Preparation of estimates for allocation of funds, in respect of lands to be acquired under the Land Acquisition Act.
- Valuation of immovable and movable property for various purposes including, for purchases and disposals under private treaty, accounting purposes and for lease purposes.
- Further, valuations are carried out where the Chief Valuer is required and empowered to make such valuations under statutory provisions and following are the other subsequent statute laws which enable the compulsory purchase of property for special purposes or have interfered with the Compensation in the term of “Market Value” and has imposed certain restrictions, conditions and circumstances, in which value has to be determined when properties are compulsorily acquired by the State or become vested in the State by the force of legislations, on payment of compensation.
- Urban Development Authority Law No 41 of 1978
- National Housing Development Authority Act No.17 of 1979
- Greater Colombo Economic Commission Law No.4 of 1978
- Town and Country Planning Ordinance Of 1946
- Land Reform Law No.1 of 1972
- Land Reform Commission Act. No.26 of 1972
- Colombo District (Low Lying Areas) Reclamation and Development Board
- Act No.15 of 1968 - Rent Act No.7 of 1972 and amendments thereto, No.55 of 1980 and No.26 of 2002
- Co-operative Societies Law No.5 of 1972
- Ceiling on Housing Property Laws No.1 of 1973
- Apartment Ownership Law No.11 of 1973
- Tourist Development Act No.14 of 1968
- Coast Conservation Act
- Agrarian services Act no.58 of 1979
- Roads and Thoroughfares Act No.45 of 1956 and Law No.37 of 1973
- Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka Act No.23 of 1979
- Walawe Lands Act No.11 of 1958
- The Department also undertakes valuations of Public Enterprises, for purposes of Privatization, at the request of the Public Enterprise Reform Commission.
- Rental Valuations are furnished to the State and State Sector Institutions either in respect of their property holdings identified for letting out, or when such institutions require private property for their use and occupation.
- The Department assists Court of Law and various other Tribunals, those hear and determine compensation disputes by leading expert evidence and, in addition to this, officers of the Department represents the Chief Valuer, in Rent Boards, except for the properties which are within the Colombo Municipality.
- The providing of advisory services in the spheres of valuation and property management and promoting professional skills.
- Rating Valuation
The Department carries out assessments and re-assessments of properties of almost all local authorities in the country, except those within Colombo Municipal Council limits for levying of rates (local taxation), and assists in the determination of objections made in respect of such assessments by aggrieved ratepayers, the objective of valuation for rating being obtaining a figure for ‘Annual Value’ for the hereditament as the basis for Local Tax, where duty of the valuer is to assess the ‘Annual Value’ as defined in relevant enactments. Legislations empowering levy of ‘Rates’ or ‘Property Tax’ in Sri Lanka are given below;
Municipal Councils Ordinance No.29 of 1947 –
Section 230
‘All houses and buildings of every description, and of all lands and tenements whatsoever within the Municipality’, are liable for ‘Local Tax’.
Section 327 (Definition of ‘The Annual Value’)
“The annual rent” which a tenant might reasonably be expected, taking one year with another, to pay for any house, building, land or tenement, if the tenant undertook to pay all public rates and taxes and if the landlord undertook to bear the cost of insurance, repairs, maintenance and upkeep, if any, necessary to maintain the house, building, land or tenement in a state to command that rent.
Urban Councils Ordinance No.61 of 1939 (former Urban District Councils)
Section 160
‘Any immovable property or any species of immovable property situated within the town’, liable for ‘Local Tax’.
Section 249 (1) – (Definition of Annual Value)
“The annual rent” which a tenant might reasonably be expected, taking one year with another, to pay for any house, building, land or tenement, if the tenant undertook to pay all public rates and taxes and if the landlord undertook to bear the cost of insurance, repairs, maintenance and upkeep, if any, necessary to maintain the house, building, land or tenement in a state to command that rent.
Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987 (former Town Council Ordinance & Village Council Ordinance)
Section 134
Any immovable property or any species of immovable property situated in localities declared by the Local Authority as ‘Built Up Localities’, with the approval of Assistant Commissioner, are liable for Local Tax.
Section 226 – (Definition of Annual Value)
‘Annual Value’ means the annual rent, which a tenant might reasonably be excepted, taking one year with another, to pay for any house, building, land or tenement, if the tenant undertook to pay all public rates and taxes, and if the landlord undertook to bear the cost of insurance, repairs, maintenance and upkeep, if any to maintain the house, land or tenement in a state to command that rent;
Provided, that in the computation and assessment of annual value,
(a) The probable annual average cost of such insurance, repair, maintenance, and upkeep shall be deducted,
(b) No allowance or reduction shall be made for any period of non tenancy.
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Skills Development Center
Identifying key fundamentals, Dignity of labour through Life Long Learning (LLL) and Performance Appraisal, efficiency through dedication and Motivation with development of skills in creating a synthesis of limited physical and human resources, the ‘Skills Development Centre’ SDC instituted in 2006, taking the place of former Training School of the department and is functioning under a Deputy Chief Valuer, the theme of the SDC being ‘Knowledge, Attitude & Efficiency’.
Facilities that are provided by the ‘Skills Development Centre’ are under two main categories, Internal and External to following extensive divisions;
- Internal Programmes: (for internal professional and managerial cadres):
- On the job training programmes,
- Subject oriented training programmes & workshops,
- Exam oriented training sessions, and
- Knowledge sharing sessions & workshops
- External Programmes:
- Training sessions for Grama Seva Niladharies,
- Training sessions & workshops for Revenue Officers,
- Attachment Programmes for B.Sc. Estate Management & Valuation under graduates,
- Job Oriented Grooming Programmes for B.Sc. Estate Management & Valuation graduates, and
- Workshops and training sessions for Acquiring Officers
Custom tailored workshops and Training Programmes are under consideration, to meet requirements of other departments and institutions in Banking, Insurance and Real Estate Management sector
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Coordination and Research Division (CORE)
Coordination
- Professional
Coordination mass scale valuations as such as,
- Asset valuations of large institutions with properties scattered island wide,
- Valuation of public enterprises for privatization purpose for faster efficient service.
- General
- Drafting and issue of Departmental Orders, Departmental Circulars, Manuals, Guide Lines etc.,
- Setting up Job Descriptions and Cord of Conducts etc.,
- Preparation of Annual Reports, Project Proposals & Concept Documentation etc.,
- Coordination of Monthly Bulletin and Valuation Journal,
- Making Performance Indicators and Performance Appraisal etc.,
- Coordination of Monthly Staff Meetings, Meetings of Heads of Divisions etc.,
- Departments General Record Room up-keep,
- Supply, distribution and Managing of News Papers and timely Magazines, and managing Telecommunication facilities,
- Organizing events as such as visits to department, meetings and discussions etc.,
- Facilitating Departmental Efficiency Bar Examinations and Service Examinations and conducting the same,
- Organizing representations to Exhibitions,
- Designing and preparation of Leaflets, broachers and Handouts etc. carrying information of the department, and
- Hosting the Departmental Web Site, in collaboration with the IT Division.
- Research
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IT (Information Technology)
Headed by a Regional Valuer and under direct supervision of The Chief Valuer, a GIS Based Computerized Mass Valuation System (covering both professional and administrative aspects of the department), under consideration. As an initiative measure, paper work for a LAN System have been completed, in view of expanding and developing it in to a VAN System (linking entire office network) with implementation of the intended computerized ‘Valuation System’.
Following are some of the initiative and progressive improvement;
- Computerized Progress Control System for individual officers, as well as for the entire department enabling constant analysis and review of progress of the department, in uplifting of individual officer capabilities and maintaining quality and quantity of professional services handled by the department to highest and accepted norms and standards, has been prepared and under implementation,
- Computerized tools as such as Fees Calculators, assisting managerial and administrative sections of the department, has been prepared and under implementation,
- Computerized Help Tools for professionals working for the department as such as, Sales & Rental Analysis cum basic Valuation System, computerized easy to use system for making Bills of Quantities have been prepared and under experimental level,
- A Microsoft Access based ‘Rating Valuation System’ enabling to handle a small Rating Unit has been introduced by a staffer and is under review of the IT Division,
- A ‘Rating Unit Monitoring System’ has been developed and is under review with suitable modifications, and
- A keep-away from paper concept computerized calculator, competent in handling all kind of valuation related multipliers has been invented and under finishing stage.
Responsibilities of the IT Division being;
- Setting up an environment for computerization,
- Facilitating staffers with computer awareness programmes,
- Training of staffers in computer literacy,
- Assisting in designing and inventing a Computerized Mass Valuation System, implementation of the same and maintaining,
- Understanding computer requirements, supply the same and maintenance, and
- Hosting and maintaining departments’ Web Site and maintaining the same.
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Legal Division
The Legal Division headed by the Legal Officer, assisted by three Legal Assistants, all Attorney-At-Law qualified, secretarial work are handled by an appointed Secretary to the board and the prime objective of the Legal Division of the department meant to assist the ‘Land Acquisition Board of Review' constituted under the provisions of Land Acquisition Act No: 09 of 1950, for the purpose of hearing appeals of the parties, who are not satisfied with the compensation received for compulsory acquisitions, leading expert evidence of departments’ valuers, on behalf of the State (i.e. depending valuations done by the department, on behalf of the government).
All functions of the Land Acquisition Board of Review (LABR) namely the administration and establishment work in relation to appeals before the Board of Review, as such as accepting appeals, issuing notices to appellants, fixing and calling boards for hearing of cases, conveying decisions of the board to appellants and preparing and accepting of documents for appeals against LABR cases are also among functions of the Legal Division.
Apart from assisting the Land Acquisition Board of Review, assisting Chief Valuer in legal issues, as such as preparation of documents for cases before any other court of Law, where Chief Valuer is a respondent too have become duty and responsibility of the Legal Division.
The appeal procedure has been specified from section 19 to 29 of the Land Acquisition Act No.9 of 1950.
There is a Land Acquisition Board of Review constituted under the provisions of Land Acquisition Act No: 09 of 1950, for the purpose of hearing appeals made by the parties who are not satisfied with the compensation received for compulsory acquisitions. He the President shall appoint the Board of Review consisting of sixteen members out of whom eight are lawyer members and eight are valuer members for a period of three years and the President shall appoint a lawyer member to be the Chairman and another member to be the Vice Chairman.
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Administration Branch
Headed by an Administrative Officer, the Administration Branch is responsible for Administration and Establishment work of the entire department, where Maintenance of personal files, Recruitments, Confirmations, Promotions, Transfers, Payment of Annual increments, Disciplinary Actions and Leave are among main functions of the section.
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Accounts Branch
The Chief Valuer is the Accounting Officer for the department under Financial Regulation and is responsible to the chief Accounting Officer i.e. Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where all functions of the Accounting Officer are carried out by the Accounts Branch, under supervision of the Chief Valuer (i.e. Accounting Officer for the department) and following are the main functions:
- Preparation of Annual Budget,
- Making payments with allocated funds in the Annual Budget,
- Preparation and submitting all Financial reports and also responding to the query by the Auditor general as well as to the internal audit dept, and
- Responsible for all other financial related matters as such as payment of monthly salary of employees, payments of advances and reimbursing traveling expenses etc.
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Welfare & Premises
Headed by the Premises Officer (a honorary post), the Welfare & Premises Division is responsible for;
Welfare -
Attend and coordinate all activities relating to wellbeing of staff of the department.
Premises -
- Maintenance and up-keep of office premises and circuit bungalows owned by the department,
- Maintenance and up-keep of office buildings rented / leased to the department, and
- Renewal of Rental / Lease agreements of office buildings rented / leased to the department,
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