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- The cost of not using State bungalows
Despite the Government declaring that State bungalows will no longer be utilised as official residences of officials or ministers, questions remain as to the plan’s feasibility.
According to a media release from the Presidential Secretariat, Cabinet approval has been granted for a unified proposal presented by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government, which aims to create a suitable strategy for the effective economic utilisation of Government properties, including residences allocated to former presidents, deputy ministers, and various State institutions.
The release notes that these properties are not being used to their full potential, with the proposal aiming to remedy this situation by ensuring that these assets are utilised in a more productive and economically beneficial manner.
As such, there are 50 Government bungalows located in Colombo 7 and Colombo 5 under the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government.
In addition, there are several presidential residences under the administration of the Presidential Secretariat, situated in Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Mahiyanganaya, Anuradhapura, Kataragama, Jaffna, Embilipitiya, and Bentota.
The presidential residences (other than those in Colombo and Kandy, which are in continuous use); the official residence of the prime minister in Nuwara Eliya, which is under the Prime Minister’s Office; and the aforementioned Government bungalows are set to be used in a more economically productive manner.
UDA involvement
Visumpaya in Colombo 2, formerly the official residence of several state leaders, is now managed by the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
Speaking to The Sunday Morning, UDA Director General Mahinda Withanaarachchi said that the only expenses for the residence, which was currently unused, were on day-to-day maintenance.
“The Cabinet has appointed a committee to give some solutions to existing Government bungalows. But the UDA has only one – Visumpaya – while the others likely fall under the Public Administration Ministry.”
He further said that there was only routine maintenance, adding: “We were supposed to give it on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects. We had already called for bids from investors, but after the Government circular was issued, this was stopped. Otherwise, during the last few days, we were issuing PPP documents for investors.”
No maintenance required: Ministry
Meanwhile, Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government Secretary S. Aloka Bandara emphasised to The Sunday Morning that no expenditure was being spent at present on the residences.
“While the bungalows were previously occupied, no one is using them now. They are now under the ministry. With the Cabinet decision to consider the steps to be taken to make use of these residences, a committee will be appointed and any future action will be based on the decisions of this committee.”
He stressed that since the buildings had been occupied thus far, no special maintenance had been required, adding that there were no caretakers at the residences.
Multiple attempts by The Sunday Morning to contact Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government P. Ruwan Senarath proved futile.
The utility of State bungalows
However, University of Sri Jayewardenepura Department of Public Administration Senior Lecturer W.G.T.S. Senanayaka noted that not using these bungalows could also incur certain costs.
“If these bungalows are not used, that is also an issue, given the maintenance costs. In other countries, such buildings are given for money, so that there is at least a breakeven,” he noted.
“Government bungalows are necessary for the welfare of public sector officials. However, there are problems with their usage, especially in terms of accountability, transparency, and who receives these bungalows and how.”
The Government officials contacted for the purposes of this article were unable to share the expenditure required for day-to-day maintenance of these buildings, stressing that any costs were minimal.
While the Government has noted that the properties remain underutilised despite spending a large amount of funds on their maintenance, they are likely to incur maintenance costs until a suitable strategy is devised to ensure their full economic potential, especially given their age and the required care for their upkeep.