Ministerial friends get 300 hotels

Wednesday, 20 June 2012 

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has been given permission to set up 300 new hotels. Sources from the Authority say that 200 out of the 300 hotels have not yet carried out an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

These permits to set up hotels have been sold between Rs. 30 and Rs. 50 lakhs. The Authority has not carried out any prior inquiries before handing the permits. The permits have been issued under the names of several persons linked to government politicians while a few permits have also been issued under the names of persons linked to opposition politicians.

Construction work has already commenced in over 100 such hotels.

Environmentalists warn that constructing hotels without carrying out a proper EIA would cause an adverse impact on the environment in future. They gave said that biodiversity would also bee affected due to improper waste and garbage disposal systems of these hotels.