President Ranil Wickremesinghe has highlighted that the tourism hotel project with India’s Taj Samudra Hotel in Nuwara Eliya had been lost due to protests.
In November last year, protests were held after reports had broken out that the government was planning to hand over the Nuwara Eliya Post Office, an iconic building, to the Taj Samudra Hotel as a hotel project.
Clarifying the government’s decision, the President explained that plans were only made to set up hotels in the lands surrounding the Post Office building to improve tourism in the area.
He further said initial plans were to renovate the iconic Nuwara Eliya post office building and for Taj Hotel to put up a hotel in the surrounding land, but protests had been held against the move.
President Wickremesinghe said if the area residents agree then the government will move ahead with development plans for Nuwara Eliya.
Reiterating that there were no plans to demolish the Post office building, the President explained that it was only proposed to renovate the building, adding that if one hotel is established then more hotels will be set up in the area.
The President made the remarks during a meeting with young Members of Parliament and emerging political figures from the Nuwara Eliya district held at the Nuwara Eliya Presidential Palace on Thursday (Apr 18). (Newswire)