Are our taxes and levies funding wheeler dealers?

May 03, 2016

Pratibha Industries has finally won the contract to implement the Kundasale Haragama water project after a long arduous journey with the previous regime and the agreement was signed in the month of March in Colombo with the blessing of the Yahapalanaya government.

Pratibha Engineering is a subsidary of Pratibha Group, has apparently got this contract after appointing a very infamous wheeler dealer Mohideen Rifky Badurdeen as their coordinator and local agent for the Kundasle haragama water project in Sri Lanka. According to Mohideen Rifky Badurdeen and his close circle of associates, he is apparently carrying out these projects under the auspices of the Sirisena family. Whether the family is aware or not, nobody knows.

Pratibha Industries Mr. Ravi Kulkarni, deputy managing director incharge for international operations specially for water projects has been highly taken up by this influential Mohideen Rifky Badurdeen as he has the blessings of the Sirisena family and is the direct go between for the Minister of Water Supply and City Planning, Rauf Hakeem.

But Mr. Kulkarani is unaware of Mohideen Rifky Badurdeen past, as this particular wheeler dealer single handedly landed another big indian giant Larsen & Turbro, in a an immense mess that benefited Mohideen Rifky Badurdeen millions of dollars, hoodwinked Ms Ferial Ashraff, and caused millions of dollars of damages and legal fees for Larsen & Turbo.

At that juncture Mohideen Rifky Badurdeen collected Two million dollars using then Minister Ferial Ashraff and her team promising a 2 Acre land from NHDA located at Darley Road Colombo 10, opposite St. Joseph college. Larsen & Trubro has spent nearly 11 million dollars to get the above land to do a mix development project and Mohideen Rifky Badurdeen had approached Larsen & Turbo claiming to be the only person to get the nod of then Housing Minister Ms Ferial Ashraff the wife of late SLMC Leader Ashraff.

It is believed that he is playing the same role again, a decade later with the successor and current leader of the SLMC, Minister Rauf Hakeem and Pratibha Industries, once again claiming to be the exclusive negotiator for Minister Rauf Hakeem.

At that time Rifky Badurdeen had subsequently made contact with Ms. Ashraff criticizing the present SLMC Leader Hon. Rauf Hakeem and Faiz Mustafa the Presidents councilor for not letting Ms. Ashraff to become the leader of the SLMC and had used this ruse and friction to cheat the country and Ms. Ashraff for the tune of Two million dollars, which resulted in immense problems for Ms Ashraff at that time.

Subsequently this issue was taken up by her partners to a very powerful and notorious politician and this person fled the country and was in exile in India for sometime and even went to Thirupathy Temple to seek blessing. However Ms. Ashraff had no such blessing and became a victimized Minister as she could not help Larsen & Turbro and they packed their bags after spending nearly 11 million dollars which went down the drain, because of Rifky Badurdeen.

The current project is funded by Exim bank of India, where the main contractor Pratibha Inudstries limited one of India’s largest infrastructure development company and is listed on the Mumbai stock exchange and national stock exchange in India. The project valued at 200 million dollars includes cum/day capacity water treatment plant, 87 km of transmission mains, 380 km distribution of pipeline, 23 service reservoirs and 450 meter long pipe bridge connecting Balagolla and Haragama areas. A population 450, 000 will both benefit and be created by this project that has a contract period of 3 years with the main contractor in Sri Lanka is National Water Supply and Drainage Board.

Rifky Badurdeen is selling the name of Hon. Rauf Hakeem the Minister, the Chairman of NWSDB, Mr. Ansar the vice Chairman of NWSDB, Mr. Shafeek Rajabdeen and many officials of president secretariat and the treasury for the tune of 10.5 million dollars. Its seems Mr. Chakravathi who is representing Pratibha from India in this project clueless about this person and his hidden activities. It’s a high time Pratibha Group and local politicians identify the proper people so that they do not to bring disrepute to their respective countries and governments.

Rifky Badurdeen has also claimed that the local contracting for Pratibha Industries, would be awarded to George Steuart Group of Companies, once again, the Yahaplanaya government seems to be back in cahoots with the same wheeler dealers from the previous regime. The multi million dollar question is what fate is in store for Pratibha Industries, Dilith Jayaweera and Minister Rauf Hakeem as Rifky Badurdeen has cheated many multinational companies and individuals including Koreans, Indians, Malaysians, Germans and Italians.

The citizens of Sri Lanka voted in this government expecting them to do a honest days work, not to procure the help of rogues who raped and pillaged the treasury of the Government of Sri Lanka with the previous regime to come back in to the fray and keep stealing from the people of this country. At the same time shouldn’t companies like Pratibha Group consult with their respective Governments and High Commissions before appointing individuals to be their representatives.

At a time the country is trying to meet their budget deficits why is it that individuals like Rifky Badurdeen being allowed to pocket millions of dollars in the name of Politicians, where both the Government of Sri Lanka and people of Sri Lanka end up paying back these loans. In essence we the people are funding the likes of Rifky Badurdeen to live lavish lifestyles while the people who put a 100 rupee reload on a phone card ends up paying nearly 40 ruppes in taxes and levies.