An Open Appeal To PM; Release Colombo Port City EIA For Public Consultation

By Kusal Perera -February 6, 2015

Kusal Perara

At a media briefing held on January 05 Thursday, spokesperson for the Cabinet, Minister Rajitha Senaratneannounced the government’s decision to proceed with the controversial Colombo Port City development project as proposed by PM Wickrrmrsinghe. He was quoted in the media as saying, “We have decided to allow the development project to proceed but without any fraud or corruption. The EIA on the project was carried out by the Moratuwa University, which is known for its assessment quality.”

This project fully funded by a Chinese investor to the tune of 1.4 billion US dollars in creating a 223 hectare offshore island adjoining the Colombo Port, will provide China total control of 108 hectares, through ownership and a 99 year lease.

Cabinet ministers of the Rajapaksa government were not briefed about this total project it is said and from the very beginning, was seeped with controversy. While many issues on corruption and fraud were raised, also important are the issues raised by Ranil Wickremesinghe as Leader of the Opposition, pledging the new government would immediately scrap the whole project. Wickremesinghe on the election campaign trail addressing numerous forums were quoted in the media as saying, the Colombo Port City project would pollute the whole coastal area from Negambo to Beruwala. His pledge to scrap the project was preceded by environmental lobbies and a loud and open protest by people of Negambo, demanding the abolition of the Colombo Port City project.

In just 24 days into governance, the new government has turned around on its pledge to scrap the controversial project and now claim, the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) done by the Moratuwa University is good enough to proceed with the project, despite some “grey areas”. The government will negotiate and President Sirisenawould discuss those issues when he visits China next month said minister Senaratne. What was not told is, it was a local company, “Master Divers” that was contracted to do an underwater soil test that for a project of this nature is extremely important. How Master Divers came to be contracted and how competent they are in such soil tests are not known.Read More