In The Press

There fear that the Colombo city would face the threat of sinking due to the construction of the Colombo Port City is baseless, said Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka.

He said soon after the Good Governnace government was elected, the construction of the Colombo Port City was initiated following extensive research conducted on environmental factors and added that precautionary measures have already been taken to avert all probable risks.

He further said world-renowned experts are involved in the construction work, and therefore, nothing is to be feared.

Minister Ranawaka added that the construction of a 60-storeyed building would be completed by 2025. "The best answer we can give critics is to go to the 60th storey once the building is completed and see if Colombo would sink. This is an open challenge and I wish to mention the names of those who made bland criticisms on the project, on its opening day," he added.

The minister said his Ministry was ready to accept constructive criticism and added that it was unfair to mislead people by spreading false rumours.

"We have to accept that it would take a long time to yield the benefits of those projects," Minister Ranawaka said, "So everyone, including civil organisations, should be patient without making baseless allegations."

The Minister further said people would face difficulties when Colombo is being developed. He added that for example, due to the construction of the housing complex by the Public Administration Ministry, the residences of Minister Gayantha Karunathilake, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his own (Minister Ranawaka), were affected since all of them were living in the same neighbourhood and the complex was being constructed behind their residencies. "We all tolerate it, as the construction is being carried out for public servants," Minister Ranawaka said.