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Rs. 799 million down the drain

The site prepared for the Presidential Palace on nine acres at Madiwela at a cost of Rs.799 million faces a threat of being washed into the Diyawanna Oya if the project is not completed by spending yet another Rs. 350 million, the Daily News learns.

Despite the repeated requests of the UNP to stop the construction of the Palace when the country faced a severe financial difficulty last year, PA leaders went ahead with the project.

Though, the PA had agreed to suspend the construction of the Presidential Complex during the period of the MoU with the JVP, it has spent Rs. 799 million by then.

The engineers have warned that unless the ground work in the remaining area is not completed soon the existing soil will be washed into the Diyawanna Oya threatening to increase floods in the area which will affect the Parliamentary Complex and residents in the area. Already Rs. 554,861 per perch has been spent on the project. Another Rs. 243,055 needs to be spent per perch to complete the ground work. Then the total cost per perch will amount to Rs. 797,916.

The breakdown of the expenses so far on the palace are as follows: Rs. 201 million on filling of nine acres, Rs. 81 million on roads, Rs. 248 million on piles, Rs. 49.5 m on the security fence, Rs. 87 million on the control of floods, broadening and deepening, Rs. 86 million consultation fees and other sundry expenses amounting to Rs. 46.5 million.

However, the total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs. 4,100 million. Already, a telephone exchange with 750 lines has been built on the site.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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