Govt. planning to hand over 60% of MRIA to India: JO

6 June 2017 05:37 pm

Government is planing to introduce a Cabinet paper to vest a 60 per cent equity of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) with India while retaining 40 per cent, the joint opposition (JO) claimed today.

JO MP Bandula Gunawardena told a news conference that the government’s double standards had been exposed by trade unions.

“It is not ethical to sell the country's resources when it is in the midst of a catastrophe," he said.

The MP claimed that the Nuwara Eliya, Kandy and Galle post office buildings are to be handed over to India for hotel projects.

He said some 125,000 Sri Lankans employed in Qatar are at risk after several Middle Eastern countries broke off diplomatic relations with that country. The MP said soon after the unity government took office, discussions were held to hand over SriLankan airlines to the Qatar Airways.

"if the deal had gone through we would have been in big trouble," he said (Thilanka Kanakarathna and Sheain Fernandopulle)

Video by Isuru

- Pix by Nisal Baduge