Renovations to begin with support from UDA and CECB

Budget allocation for renovations approved: Min. Siyambalapitiya

Required renovations for the 40-year-old Parliament building have been identified and preparations are underway to commence them soon, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said yesterday (5).

It was recently reported that some sections of Parliament building are in a dilapidated condition due to lack of renovation in almost 40 years.

Speaking to the media, the State Minister said that both the Government and Parliament were aware of the issue, and that urgent renovations needed to the building complex were identified during a recent session of the Parliamentary Staff Advisory Committee. He said that a decision was reached to carry out the renovation work with the support of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB).

"The budget allocation designated for this year (2024) was promptly approved for this purpose. Additionally, the said Advisory Committee comprising Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the Leader of the House, Minister, Dr. Susil Premajayantha, and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa reached a policy agreement to provide further necessary funding as needed." he said.

In 1979, then-Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa obtained approval from Parliament to build a new Parliament Building on a five-hectare island in the Diyawanna Oya in Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte. The building's design was crafted by renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa, and construction was undertaken by a Japanese consortium at a cost exceeding $ 25.4 million. The project was completed within the scheduled time frame of 26 months and officially inaugurated in 1982 by then-President J. R. Jayewardene.