Hambantota land will be leased to JV, not sold to foreigners: Sarath Amunugama

Promising not to sell Hambantota land to foreign parties, Minister of Special Assignments Dr. Sarath Amunugama said that land needed for development purposes would be leased through a joint venture established in Sri Lanka. 

“A company registered in Sri Lanka will be established partly-owned by Chinese investors and partly by Sri Lanka and the Hambantota port and land required for development purposes will be leased out to this company,” Dr. Amunugama said while addressing a public meeting at Hatharaliyadda in the Galagedara electorate recently. 

The Minister further said that there was no purpose in building a harbour at great cost with borrowed money if ships did not come there and that it was therefore the Government which was now engaged in entering into commercial agreements with countries that own ships in order to make the harbour one where ships stopped over at.

Dr. Amunugama observed that one of Sri Lanka’s biggest national weaknesses was the slow rate at which anything was one. He pointed out that in this respect the country should learn a lesson from the Chinese company now engaged in the reclamation of 300 hectares from the sea to build the new port city, also known as the Financial City. The Minister said the Chinese had reclaimed one-third of the required area within six months.

Earlier, the Minister referred to the progress of the self-employment project of the Galagedara electorate. He said that with the possession of only a feasible project proposal, small groups in the electorate were able to get financial assistance for these projects without the need for paying interest or effecting repayment. He said a large number of such projects had now been initiated and he will be making arrangements to provide markets for the products of these projects. 

Through Vidatha centres he was also arranging for the training needed for such projects. The Minister said his aim was to see that women especially would be able to earn about Rs. 10,000 a month while working at home.

The Minister warned that there was a new ruse now by some politicians who have gathered money through corrupt means, to engage motorcyclists to go to villages offering loans at exorbitant rates of interest and have these loan sharks sometimes forcibly enter and stay in the homes of borrowers in order to enforce repayment.