Towering target

By Cheranka Mendis

Construction work for the 350 metre iconic Lotus Tower commenced yesterday following the foundation laying ceremony at the auspicious time of 10:28 a.m.

The tower, which will be the tallest tower in South Asia, is located down D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, overlooking the Beira Lake and is budgeted at an estimated cost of US$ 104.3 million. Construction work the project is expected to finish within 30 months.

Designed as a multi functional telecommunication tower and entertainment centre, it will consist of 90 to 100 floors with the lotus-shaped tower house consisting of nine floors.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa stated that the tower would facilitate 50 broadcast and telecasting services each and 20 telecommunication providers, among other things.

Claiming that the tower was a dream of President Rajapaksa, he noted that the initial plan was to erect it in Gampaha. “After much discussion, we revised the plans and agreed to build in Colombo,” he said.

Lotus Tower will be a free standing tower with a four-storey high podium and a concrete tower shaft of moderate diameter with a steel framed antenna mast surmounted at the top.

The tower will have access to all broadcasting and telecasting services and will also relay defence signals and indirectly contribute to the removal of high-powered TV and FM antennas placed on top of various buildings in Colombo.The antennas of service providers will be installed at a height between 250 metres and 350 meters above ground level and cater to different frequencies.

The building will have a four-storey rotating restaurant, a telecommunication museum, food courts, administrative offices and exhibition spaces.

The tower head will accommodate an observation deck, banquet hall for 1,000 guests and two floors of super luxury hotel accommodation.

The Economic Development Minister added: “The tower will be one step more towards achieving the target of becoming the ‘Wonder of Asia’ by 2016, as the President said. The tower will become a must-see tourist hotspot in Colombo and would help many sectors other than tourism and telecommunication.

Rajapaksa noted that at present the most visited tourist locations in Sri Lanka are the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Peradeniya Botanical Gardens and Sigiriya.

Minister Rajapaksa admitted that the duration of visits by tourists was on the decline, despite the influx of arrivals. “This has become a problem for international companies and hotel lines, which are interested in setting up here. I believe that the Lotus Tower will change this and will help boost many other sectors as well.”

The tower is being built under the auspices of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Sri Lanka (TRCSL) on a plot of land spanning 3.06 hectares.

A Chinese conglomerate comprising China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (CEIEC) and Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co. Ltd (ALIT) will complete the project on a turnkey basis using the concept and preliminary designs drawn by local architects.

While TRCSL will finance the project, technical assistance has been obtained from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Moratuwa. A team of consultants led by Emeritus Professor Nimal de Silva, Professor Samita Manawadu and Professor Chitra Weddikkara of the Faculty has been providing advice on design, cost planning and control.

Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella noted that Sri Lanka was finally getting something that locals had hitherto seen only in pictures or movies. “It is becoming a reality,” he added.

Agreeing with Rambukwella, CEIEC President Chen Xu expressed his excitement over the new project: “It was only 17 days ago that we signed the contract for the Lotus Tower; now we come here for the foundation ceremony. We have constructed a number of TV towers in China and the world, but this tower shows culture and modernisation mixing together. It is quite complicated in construction, but we are confident. After 915 days, we will come here again to see the complete tower.”

TRCSL Chairman and President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga noted that when President Rajapaksa saw telecommunication towers in other parts of the world, he always wanted one for Sri Lanka. “Within the next three years, Sri Lanka will see more and more towers, expressways and roads, etc. You will see more large scale developments taking place in the country,” he asserted.

According to Minister Rajapaksa, the President’s wish is to elevate the lifestyles of the people and place the country on par with other countries. “This is why he introduced the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’. He knew it was not just about developing the country, but doing in stages. He knew what to do first and where to draw the line,” he added.

It was in creating a conducive environment for business which would boost the country’s status that the construction of power plants, highways, flyovers, ports and airports began, he noted.

“However, it was not just about mega-scale development and infrastructure. To provide the basic needs of the 36,000 villages, the President launched programmes such as ‘Gama Neguma’ and ‘Divi Neguma’ and will look at empowering the entire nation for development.”