Consultants to take over Lotus Tower by end of May

By Darshana Sanjeewa  

The lotus tower would be taken over by a group of consultants after its constructions and basic preparations were completed on May 31, one of the consultants of the project, Prof. Samitha Manawadu said yesterday.   

The professor said once the consultations are completed, the tower would be handed over to the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRC) for their groundwork.   

“At this stage, the officials are making sure that there are no defects in facilities such as water supply and air conditioning. We will take over from May 31st and will do the necessary consultations and then will handover the project to the TRC. The TRC will make preparations to convert the tower as a proper communication tower which houses TV and radio stations and will decide on the date of opening the tower,” he said.   

Meanwhile, a TRC official said they have a stand by team to inspect the tower once it was handed over to them by the consultants.   

The construction of the tower was estimated at over USD 100 million and eighty per cent of the cost was funded by the EXIM Bank of China.  

According to the master plan, the tower would consist of a telecommunication museum, restaurants, supermarkets, food courts, conference halls, an auditorium, luxury hotel rooms, ball rooms and an observation gallery.  

Constructed on a 10-acre land, the first few floors of the tower will be allocated for malls, parks and parking facilities, while the upper floors are to be provided specifically for telecommunication purposes.  

Under phase two, plans are being made to construct a theme park, shopping mall and car park.  

Initial reports of the tower stated that facilities could be provided for 50 television service providers, 50 broadcast service providers and 10 communication providers.    

At this stage, the officials are making sure that there are no defects  in facilities such as water supply and air conditioning. We will take  over from May 31st and will do the necessary consultations and then will  handover the project to the TRC