Make Port City Agreements Public

A tripartite agreement between the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development, the Urban Development Authority and CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt.) Ltd., was signed last week formally replacing the previous agreement that was signed on 16 September 2014 between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Project Company regarding the construction of the Port City.

‘’The government has been making contradictory statements about the Port City. Minister Gayantha Karunathilake said that the government allowed CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd to reclaim two more hectares as compensation for the suspension of the construction activities in mid  2015. But the Prime Minister said,  there is no need to pay compensation. We need to know what the truth is. We want the government to publish the agreement so we know the truth,” said Director of Environmental Conservation Trust (ECT) Sajeewa Chamikara.

Environmentalists challenged the government to publicize the agreement signed with CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt.) Ltd., during the tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, regarding the construction of the Colombo Port City.

He added that Minister of Megapolis Champika Ranawaka is attempting to convince the people that the Port City can be converted into a financial hub between Singapore and Dubai.

“We have seen politicians making the same statements about similar projects that have had an adverse impact on environment. The UNP said that the accelerated Mahaweli Development Project will make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in food. We all know how that worked out. Not only are food prices higher than ever but also our entire agriculture sector are under the control of multinational companies,” he added.