COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers has approved a proposal to shift the Police Headquarters from a century-old complex in York Street, Colombo Fort, to a soon-to-be-constructed complex in Pepiliyana at a cost of Rs 10 billion.
Co-cabinet spokesman Minister Udaya Gammanpila told reporters at the weekly cabinet press briefing on Tuesday (June 1) that due to a lack of space in the York Street building, the government has had to fork out Rs 25 million every month in rent to other buildings.
The police HQ is currently maintained in three buildings that are over 100 years old in the middle of the road connecting York Street and Chaithya Road and is maintained in rented buildings by the Civil Administration Office and several other divisions due to lack of space at the premises, the cabinet office said in a statement.
“Although a cabinet approval was given in 2012 to construct the police headquarters complex in Mirihana, necessary steps were not taken. Under these circumstances, a 14-acre land located at No. 142, Bellantota Junction, Attidiya Road, Dehiwala on the Pepiliyana Main Road that belongs to the Sri Lanka Police has been identified as the most suitable location for the construction of the complex,” the statement said.
-economynext.com