Srilanka, May 6 -- Colombo's working class- 50% of the city's population-are central to its economy and vibrant culture, but have historically been marginal to Colombo's development agenda. Following the end of the war, however, they came into sharp focus. The Urban Regeneration Programme (URP) classified 53% of Colombo's population as living in 'underserved settlements' - a term strategically deployed to deliberately misrepresent working-class neighbourhoods as 'off-grid'. Homes and communities were reconceptualised as 'underutilised land' occupying 'economic corridors' that needed releasing for investment and beautification.

The solution? Forced evictions of more than 50,000 working-class families and relocating them to state-built h...