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Sri Lanka will be introducing high-end tourism projects and new travel opportunities in unspoiled areas of Dedduwa and Akurala in the Galle district in an effort to re-develop the Southern province, the Southern Development Ministry disclosed.

This was one of the key strategies being implanted by the government to rejuvenate the tourism industry battered by the Easter terror attacks. The Southern Development Ministry will be obtaining the services of a local or international consultancy agency with experience in transaction advisory services for large scale projects to initiate this project.

This agency is entrusted with the task of preparing and calling for an Expression of Interest and business proposals from interested parties.

The two areas will be converted into a high–end tourist attraction zone with an investment of around US$ 300 million which is made available for this purpose at present, a senior official of the ministry said.

The importance of having a canal from Dedduwa to Koggala was highlighted at the Cabinet meeting which approved this proposal recently, he said, adding that it will pave the way towards developing 14 islands in Koggala.

The Dedduwa area has already been singled out as a high–end tourism project area and it will continue on the South coast all the way up to Mirissa, he revealed. The Dedduwa tourism area has many natural attractions such as inland lakes wetlands, flora and fauna, diverse biodiversity, eco-systems, beaches, temples, villages, cultural activities and paddy and cinnamon cultivation.

The Dedduwa Lake project covering 1,800 hectares of wetland lies to the east of the present Bentota Holiday Resort. The development plan provides it to be linked by the re-opening of old waterways to Madhu Ganga 20 km to the south and also developing the area surrounding the Dedduwa Lake.

Sri Lanka’s environmentalists will be launching countrywide protests and awareness campaigns against the environmental destruction being caused by the mega luxury Araliya hotel owned by business tycoon Dudley Sirisena, President Sirisena’s brother, in the Unawatuna area.

In addition to the damage already caused to fauna and exotic flora along with the glamorous corals and marine creatures, a serious impact of pollution on water streams is now evident due to the plan of releasing 60% of waste water after treatment to the sea on completion of the project, they claimed.

The location is also a very rare site that can be used for research work on continental drift. The adverse impact of the hotel project is a threat to this “hot- spot” with biological diversity, ecologists claimed.

The use of heavy machinery at the hotel site has exerted an impact on the deep-rooted soil layer and it will be fast deteriorating resulting sea erosion generating a possibility of future landslide in the entire zone including Unawatuna and globally renowned Rumassala sanctuary.

Ignoring the protests of residents and environmentalists, Dudley Sirisena’s Araliya Group has completed the construction work of the luxury Araliya hotel and it is scheduled to be opened this year.

Araliya Group is set to double its hotel room range to 1,014 rooms with the launching of Araliya Unawatuna and Araliya Red in Nuwara Eliya this year, Dudley Sirisena boasted at a media conference recently.

Araliya Group currently owns and manages 500-600 hotel rooms in Polonaruwa, Nuwara Eliya and Galle districts, he said.

Environmentalists claim that President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also the Minister of Environment at present, has turned a blind eye and allowed his brother to build a massive 16 story edifice for a hotel complex that impacts the natural habitat in the area including the Rumassala Sanctuary.

Sri Lanka’s domestic airports are to be upgraded for the operation of the regional commercial flights. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Sri Lanka is set to perform certification of aerodromes for the commencement of Regional Air Service operations.

This regional commercial flight initiative is in conformity with the applicable standards to foreign destinations. The CAA has been directed to prepare the border control formalities to discharge their legitimate functions at such airports. All those modalities aimed at operating regional commercial flights have been approved by the Cabinet of ministers recently.

During the past several years, the Government has taken a series of measures to improve the domestic aviation. Consequently, action has been taken to develop the Batticaloa Airport and to enhance civil aviation facilities at the Ratmalana Airport while steps are being taken to improve the Palali Airport.

The upgraded Palali airport will be able to accommodate regional airliners from the Indian subcontinent from September, State Minister for Civil Aviation Ashoka Abeysinghe said.

Sri Lanka government has provided LKr 2 billion to upgrade the airport that will see a renovated runway, a better terminal and a temporary air traffic control tower will be set up.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) will further invest another LKR 1 billion to assist in the refurbishment and the development of the Palali domestic airport into an international airport.

Abeysinghe said that with the granting of free visa to 48 countries including India, the Palali international airport would get attention from Indian airlines and tourists.

Meanwhile, an Airport Aviation official said that the international Air Transport Association (IATA) approvals have been received (IATA-JAF) to operate international flights.

IndiGo, an Indian low-cost airline headquartered at Haryana, India and the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 48.1% domestic market share as of June 2019, is also expected to be the first international airline to operate to Palali.

Beleaguered construction group, MTD Walkers PLC entangles in legal issues one by one when Bank of Ceylon (BOC) has announced a legal action against the default on debenture obligations by the company.

BOC said it has handed over the documents pertaining to the matter to the Attorney General’s Department on 24 July in order to institute legal action against MTD Walkers for non-payment of interest due from the company to the investors, leading to an event of default.

The largest lenders to the troubled group include Hatton National Bank PLC, People’s Bank and National Development Bank while there are also other small and medium-sized lenders who have had exposures to the company.

According to the latest financial report available up to December 31, 2018, the company had been sitting on a Rs. 26 billion debt pile, of which Rs. 22 billion were short term. The group further had Rs.8.5 billion worth supplier credit.

Last September, the company deferred settlement of Rs. 2 billion debentures, and approximately Rs.1.1 billion was falling due again in September 2019 and the balance a year later.

The MTD Walkers group’s troubles were largely blamed at the delayed payments by the government for the projects which the firm delivered.

The group had Rs.18 billion receivables from projects and another Rs.1 billion each in cash and financial assets which are believed to be converted in to cash relatively easily.

The Malaysian shareholder of MTD Walkers is yet to sell its 90.8 percent controlling stake of troubled construction company to Sri Lanka’s Anunine Holdings.

The Walkers share has been suspended from trading since February 13, 2019. No such controlling stake transaction took place on December 31 last year.

Anunine Holdings announced that it will buy the shares currently held by MTD Capital Bhd, thereby taking over MTD Walkers and its subsidiaries.

The newcomers took the place of two independent directors linked to Supreme Global Holdings–Kumaragewattage Sharm Viraj Fernando and Yogendraprasath Sathiyaseelan who joined the group at the end of December 2018.

Both resigned after the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) rejected a bid by a company allied with Supreme Global to buy the Malaysian stake.

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A discussion has been initiated by Northern Province Governor Dr. Suren Raghavan yesterday (2) with the Chief of International Organisation of Migration (IOM) for Sri Lanka and Maldives, Sarat Dash on measures that could be taken to bring back Sri Lankan refugees in India.

The discussion had taken place when Dash had called on Governor Raghavan at the Governor’s Secretariat.

Dash has said the IOM could spend LKR 6.5 million to bring the Sri Lankan Tamils living in India as refugees and there is a delay in the process of bringing them to the island due to some unexpected reasons. The IOM Chief has further requested the Governor’s assistance to overcome these issues.

Dr. Raghavan has said he would discuss the matter with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Ministry officials and other relevant officials and would take necessary action to assist the IOM.

The Governor of Uva Province Marshall Perera has tendered his resignation to President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday (01), sources said.

It was also reported that the resignation was due to personal reasons. Marshall Perera is also the the father of Parliamentarian Dilan Perera.

Central Province Governor Maithri Gunaratne has resigned from the post of Governor today. Several social media sites reported earlier today that President Maithripala Sirisena had requested Gunaratne as well as Southern Province Governor Keerthi Tennakoon last night to resign from their posts.

It was further reported that senior members and organizers of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) had continuously complained against the actions of Governors Gunaratne and Tennakoon to the President.

The senior SLFP members have claimed that the two Governors had sidelined the SLFP organizers in the two provinces and were more supportive towards the organizers of the Rajapaksa led Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). The issue was even taken up for discussion at the SLFP Central Committee recently.

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), popularly known as Pohottuwa (Lotus bud), is getting ready for another illicit and perilous gill mart of collecting biometric (personnel) data commencing from tomorrow.

The SLPP has entrusted this task to groups of youth specially selected for this purpose in all electorates countrywide.

They will visit the door steps of registered voters and collect their highly sensitive and personnel data (smart data) such as national identity card number, date of birth, address, occupation and other relevant information.

This campaign has been planned under the guise of collecting data to improve the living standard of the people ensuring them with jobs and income avenues etc.

A senior official of the Department of Census and Statistics noted that the collection of smart data without the permission of the department was illegal.

The official pointed out that the increased availability and sharing of data could result in sensitive data such a NIC numbers falling into the wrong hands if not properly and fairly processed.

This will lead to the exposing of bank accounts of individuals and other sensitive information including income, their savings and life insurance and even information on whether they own their own homes.

The aim of the SLPP in collecting smart data is to make assumptions or predictions about voters, a senior member of the party said.

It also allows them to send targeted emails or telephone canvass voters as well as decide who to doorstep during the campaign or on the day of voting.

The collecting of personal data by unknown persons will lead to a serious national issue, Census and Statistics Department official warned.

The controversy over the dual citizenship of former Defence Secretary and presidential hopeful Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has taken center stage with documents of his loss of US citizenship circulating in social media platforms.

However, the latest issue to hit social media platforms is the issue of Rajapaksa obtaining a Sri Lankan passport, which is not a dual citizen’s passport, after surrendering his US passport and other documents he had on being a dual citizen.

It is alleged that Rajapaksa had obtained the Sri Lankan passport with the assistance of a senior minister of the UNP government. It has already been reported that Rajapaksa had travelled to Singapore for medical treatment using this newly obtained Sri Lankan passport.

According to a news report published in the Lankaenews website, Rajapaksa had not completely denounced his US citizenship when he obtained the Sri Lankan passport with the assistance of a senior government minister.

The website has further stated that granting Rajapaksa a Sri Lankan passport without the “dual citizen” stamp in such a scenario is a serious matter that requires a probe.

The passport issued by the Sri Lankan authorities to dual citizens has a “dual citizen” stamp on the second page of the respective passport. However, the passport that Rajapaksa currently has in his possession does not have the “dual citizen” stamp in it. According to the news report, it is a senior government minister who had intervened and ensured that Rajapaksa received a passport without this stamp.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has already said to the media that he is no longer a dual citizen and that he is a Sri Lankan citizen.

However, the Immigration and Emigration Controller has told the media that the Sri Lankan passport issued to Rajapaksa had no bearing on his renunciation of the US citizenship.

National organiser of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Parliamentarian Duminda Dissanayake challenged the former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa to go public with the official document of renunciation of US citizenship which he claims to have in possession.

Addressing media at SLFP head office, Dissanayake said if Gotabhaya Rajapaksa wants to be more transparent about his citizenship, he should not hide the documents to back his claims that he had renounced his US citizenship.

“If I were him, I would have called a press conference and proved that I have relinquished my US citizenship, and give copies of my documents to journalists to publish that on their respective media platforms,” Dissanayake said.

e added.

Dissanayake asked Rajapaksa to reveal the document he claims to have in possession before the SLPP Convention scheduled on August 11, adding that it would make their decision easy.

“I think the SLPP will not announce their candidate on that day. The event will merely mark oppposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa assuming the party’s leadership. The people will have to wait longer to know who their candidate is,” he said.

The Sri Lanka government will be strengthening the process with regard to climate resilience, mitigate flood risks and conservation of environment with World Bank assistance, officials said.

The World Bank recently approved a US$ 310 million loan to reduce and mitigate flood risks in the lower Kelani basin in Colombo and improve weather forecasting and early warning systems across Sri Lanka. The Climate Resilience Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach project is the first of a three-phase investment program totaling US$ 774 million and to be implemented over 8 years.

Sri Lanka ranked second among countries most affected by extreme weather conditions in 2017 and is expected to see a 1.2 percent annual GDP loss by 2050 due to climate change, officials said.

Floods impacted around 14 million people between 2010 and 2018 and droughts affected about 12 million people, official data showed. Evidence suggests flood frequency will increase and that nearly 87 percent of Sri Lankans are living in areas likely to experience extreme temperatures and rainfall that will impact their lives, they said.

This comprehensive climate resilience program will reduce losses to people’s livelihoods and public assets while reducing shocks on the economy,” said Idah Z. Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank County Director for Sri Lanka. The programme aligns with the government's plans to ensure fiscal and physical resilience and reduce the vulnerability of Sri Lanka’s economy in the aftermath of the 2016 and 2017 floods.

The new forecasting systems are expected to benefit the entire nation, including 3.5 million beneficiaries living in flood-prone areas in 25 river basins.

The first phase of the Slave Island Redevelopment Project, Metro Homes was inaugurated on Thursday and handed over to the beneficiaries by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Well-built houses with all modern amenities were handed over to around 626 families and fully developed commercial spaces to around 114 shop owners. The investment made is around LKR 7000 million. It is a unique project completed by Tata Housing which has ensured re-housing of the existing community in a residential complex with improved infrastructure.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the gathering that he looked forward to further strengthening the connectivity and people-to-people ties between both the countries.

In his inaugural speech, Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu stressed that India and Sri Lanka are going through a phase of rapid urbanization and there was a need to ensure smart development of our cities with due emphasis on ‘inclusivity’ and ‘sustainability.'

Tata is a well-known name in Sri Lanka and is a global enterprise with an annual revenue of more than US$ 100 billion and with operations in more than 100 countries across the globe. They have operated in Sri Lanka since 1961 in several verticals like Transport, Communications, Hospitality etc.