20 May 2020 12:00 am
By Ajith Siriwardana
Former JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti said the government was talking of building the largest cricket stadium in Homagama just to suppress the burning issues that have cropped up due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
He said a cricket stadium was not the need of the hour when people were struggling to fulfil their daily needs. “People are wondering how to purchase their daily food and leave for their jobs.
Businessmen are wondering how to resume their businesses and parents are wondering about sending their children to schools.
They never want the largest cricket stadium to be built at this juncture. It is purely an attempt to cover up burning issues,” he said. He said allocating funds for a cricket stadium was shocking when Secretary to the President P.B. Jayasundara was appealing government servants to donate at least one day’s pay claiming that funds were insufficient to pay even salaries of government sector employees.
Mr. Handunnetti said the government was still in debt to China for building a cricket stadium in Sooriyawewa and added that the Ports Authority was paying the debt.