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Loans taken by govt boosting country s development - President

Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport Mattala, Hambantota Sports Zone and the Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele Cinema Park.

The construction work for the Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa International Port has cost US $ 360 million.
Sri Lanka later sought more money from China to remove a massive rock in the seabed near the entrance to the Hambantota port.

The fact is that the government had been warned by a consultancy firm called SNC Lavalin of Canada when they did a feasibility study under a grant during President Chandrika Kumaratunga s regime between 1994 and 2001.

Afterwards another feasibility study at a cost of US$ 2 million was executed by Ramboll of Denmark when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was Ports and Fisheries Minister during the tail end of the aforesaid Kumaratunga regime with the cost being borne by the SLPA.

Subsequently, Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama told The Sunday Leader in an interview that additional costs amounting to US$ 82 million (Rs. 9 billion) are due to having to blast and remove the bedrock found in the harbour.

This was also substantiated by Hambantota port chief engineer Agil Hewageegana who also last year told The Sunday Leader that Sri Lanka has sought US$ 85 million from China (over Rs. 9 billion) for this purpose.

Since its opening in November 2010, only five ships have come to the port including a vessel that was carrying books according to M. K. Tution who is the Director Planning at the Hambantota District Secretariat.

Loans taken by govt boosting country s development - President

The Tele Cinema stands on 235 acres in Ranminitenna in Hambantota. The total cost to construct the Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele Cinema Park was Rs. 2 billion.

According to M. K. Tution, funds for the project were obtained from taxes levied on foreign films and tele- dramas. According to him, modern studios and locations relating to hospitals, police stations and courts are housed within the premises.
Lodging facilities for over 100 people, restaurants, a separate building to hold workshops and a large vehicle park has been provided for the convenience of film crew.
However this is yet another white elephant. Since its opening in March 2010 there has been little or no shooting of films at this center.

Loans taken by govt boosting country s development - President

This Sports Zone was targeted for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and will comprise 20 sporting venues that include an Athletics Stadium with full warm-up and training facilities, a Hockey Stadium, International Aquatics Centre, International Sports Complex for both indoor and outdoor sports, an 18-Hole Golf Course, Exhibition Centre, and a state-of-the-art Games Village featuring the highest quality accommodation and support facilities for athletes with an on-site training village.
M. K. Tution however did not know as to what the project cost would be or when the construction work of the Sports Zone would be complete.

Loans taken by govt boosting country s development - President

Mahinda Rajapaksa International
Cricket Stadium in Suriyawewa

At a cost of Rs. 700 million, the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Suriyawewa was declared open in 2011 for the World Cup matches. According to the Hambantota Divisional Secretariat only five matches including the two World Cup matches have thus far been played on this ground.
It boasts a 32, 000 seating capacity and has been built on 47 acres.
Since the conclusion of the World Cup matches the stadium sits desolate.

Loans taken by govt boosting country s development - President

The drawing boards show plans already commissioned to build Sri Lanka s second international airport to be finished in November this year. It was earlier scheduled to be opened only in December 2013.
This ambitious project stands on 2,000 hectares of land. Rs. 39,600 million has been estimated for the construction work which commenced on November 27, 2009.
Although it is expected to hold one million passenger transactions, questions are already being asked as to who would want to land in Hambantota given the lack of logistics for passengers.

Loans taken by govt boosting country s development - President

what happens to billions of dollars, this year it is supposed to be $ 10 billion, sent by the workers overseas.

all spent for his overseas jolly trip with the stooges.

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena yesterday said Korea will grant a US $ 49 million loan to Sri Lankan to set up IT laboratories in schools developed under the 1,000 schools development project.

He said this at a ceremony at President's House to grant 3,000 teaching appointments to Information Technology graduates and College of Education diplomates.

The Korean Education Minister had agreed to grant the loan at a concessionary rate, he said.

The Korean government decided to grant the loan after the President's visit to Korea, the minister said.

Loans taken by govt boosting country s development - President

In further developments to the lead story that appeared in our last week's edition on the Hambantota Port fiasco, it is now learnt that the public will have to cough up an additional Rs. 15.9 billion as new capital costs for blasting the bedrock at the Hambantota Port to obtain the required 17 metre draft to accommodate mega container carriers as well, coupled with other new costs.That Rs. 15.9 billion is equivalent to meeting the Government's Samurdhi welfare bill, the handout or food stamp package given to the country's poor, for a period of six months