Over 2700 govt. buildings lie idle

President highlights need to put them into good use  

Some buildings remain weather –beaten

State bungalows used by Cabinet Ministers past yet to be assigned for productive use

The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the 1990 Suwaseriya Ambulance Service have also sought two state bungalows for their use

some buildings had been beaten by the weather so much that it was challenging to repair them

By Kelum Bandara  

In what appeared to be another instance of multi-billion rupee waste of taxpayers’ money, more than 2700 government buildings, constructed in the past, remain abandoned or not being used properly, according to the budget speech delivered by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.  

The President, in his speech, said these buildings had been identified as educational buildings, hospitals, textile industry buildings, vocational training centres, community halls, service centres and multi-purpose buildings, warehouses and cultural centres.  

“We are studying the possibility of improving these underutilised buildings or structures and using them for income-generating projects such as hotels, business centres, factories or other purposes through public-private partnerships and accordingly, we are preparing the necessary plans to effectively utilize these resources,” he said.   

The government is now planning to put them into good use. The President said these buildings had been constructed even without feasibility studies done.  

Public Administration Minister Chandana Abeyaratne, in response to a query in this regard, said that these buildings are spread across the country. He said some buildings had been beaten by the weather so much that it was challenging to repair them.  “Some of these structures are in the Colombo suburbs,” he said.   

Asked about state bungalows occupied by Cabinet ministers in the past, he said that his Ministry had started releasing them for productive use.  

“We recently decided to allocate a few of them to be used as courthouses,” he said.   

The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the 1990 Suwaseriya Ambulance Service have also sought two state bungalows for their use.  

Responding to a query about the houses occupied by the past Presidents, he said, “We will allocate them too for productive purposes.”