The present Government will not implement the Galle Harbour Port City project which had been planned and proposed to be implemented by the previous Government, Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Rathna Gamage said.
The Deputy Minister disclosed the Government’s stand on the project when responding to the media, during his inspection tour of the Galle Fishery Harbour recently.
The proposed Galle Harbour Port City included an extent of 44.97 hectares of reclaimed land for tourism and recreational real estate, a cruise terminal, a 150-metre berth for super yachts and passenger cruise ships, and filling materials of 1.9 million metric tonnes dredged from the Bay of Galle seabed.
Many ecologists, oceanologists, environmental organisations and prominent stakeholders had raised several grave concerns and issues over the project. However, some ministers of the previous government and some officials had been determined to implement the project.
The Galle Harbour Development Project had not been planned with proper scientific strategies. They had selected large extents of environmentally sensitive area of the ocean for land reclamation under this project. After a study of the project, we understood that this project was an unwholesome venture.
We had experienced the disastrous impact of a project of this nature earlier. So, we shall not go ahead with this project, Deputy Minister Rathna Gamage stated.
Meanwhile, a team of stakeholders in Galle had met Deputy Minister of Vocational Education Nalin Hewage to express their concern over the proposed Galle Port City Project, at the NPP office in Galle.
At the meeting, Deputy Minister Hewage too had assured them that the NPP Government will not go ahead with the project.
