• Ports authorities cite food-related health code violations/aesthetic concerns
• Alleged misuse of eatery facilities provided at concessional rates 

Citing food-related health code violations, aesthetic concerns and the alleged misuse of facilities provided at concessional rates to operate eateries, the Sri Lanka Ports Management and Consultancy Services Private Limited Company, an affiliate of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority which is responsible for the administration of the Galle Face Green, has, in conjunction with the public health authorities, as a measure of last resort, notified unauthorised food vendors and eateries at the Galle Face Green promenade to vacate the premises.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (6), Sri Lanka Ports Management and Consultancy Services (Pvt.) Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Suraj Kathurusinghe, citing health code violations and the loss of aesthetic beauty of the promenade, noted that unauthorised food vendors and eateries at the Galle Face Green have been notified to vacate the premises as a measure of last resort. Kathurusinghe claimed that the unauthorised vendors were responsible for making the location less appealing for both foreigners and local citizens, especially for women and children.

He did not specifically comment when queried regarding the deadline of the eviction notice and when it would be enforced.

Kathurusinghe also stated that efforts had been made to standardise and regulate these vendors, such as by way of constructing 62 permanent stalls set up under the ramparts of the Green and the seaside walkways to be sold to the existing vendors at concessionary rates. However, he claimed that these options had been misused by the vendors. In this regard, he cited an instance where a single vendor had bought five stalls but operated only one. Further adding to this, Kathurusinghe claimed that this issue was compounded by the fact that the third party administrators in charge of the parking lots adjacent to the Green, who were contracted by the Colombo Municipal Council to manage the allocated parking spaces, had unlawfully permitted the setting up of eateries within the designated parking space. This, Kathurusinghe observed, discouraged people from accessing the permanent stalls set up beneath the ramparts. 

Citing the alleged health code violations that these stalls were found to be guilty of, Kathurusinghe claimed that the eviction notice was a measure of last resort, undertaken alongside the clearing of the Galle Face Green for the Independence Day parade, after exhausting every other possible measure. 

Meanwhile, when questioned about the matter, the Police Media Spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General of Police and attorney Nihal Thalduwa stated that there was no request by the Ports Authority to intervene or assist in evicting these unauthorised vendors and eateries, and that there was no Police involvement in the matter as of yet.

Nevertheless, online watchdogs have pointed out the fact that for many of these vendors, eviction would entail certain unemployment and a loss of income, a point made especially relevant as the upcoming month of Ramadan is their most profitable season of the year. An online commentator claimed: “On 5 February, Ports Authority officials told Galle Face ‘isso vadai’ (a short eat made with prawns and dhal) vendors that they couldn’t operate their carts along the seafront anymore. They say that it has got crowded with unauthorised vendors but vendors with passes who have sold there for decades are also blocked. The vendors are residents of Kompannaveediya (Slave Island)  who prepare food in their small houses, daily commute with  their carts to and from the Galle Face and back. Many are in debt from losses last year (2023). Income is unstable after this order and what would be their busiest season – Ramadan – is now uncertain. They’ve been told that they can put their carts on the pavement after 4 p.m. The late start is a loss for them and they are also at risk of being chased away when the Police feel like it. Vendors have heard that people in the high-rise buildings along Galle Face don’t like seeing the small carts on the Green. They also wonder if Galle Face has been sold to someone, which is why they’re no longer wanted at the site.”