GOVT. REVIEWING COSTS BEFORE RENOVATING 'DILAPIDATED PARLIAMENT BUILDING'

Accordingly, renovation work is planned to commence this May and will continue during a five-year period. The Urban Development Authority has informed the Parliament's Technical Committee that, due to the need to keep Parliament operational, renovation activities will be conducted in stages without closing the building entirely.

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Although considerations were made during previous discussions to hand over the engineering work to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau, a state institution, no final decision has yet been made, according to the Urban Development Authority.

The Speaker's Office also stated that the Sri Lanka Army and Navy have already agreed to provide labour support for the roof renovation.

Initially, USAID and MAX PLAN, a non-governmental organization, had agreed to provide financial assistance for the renovation. However, due to the recent suspension of USAID funding to Sri Lanka by the US President, there is currently no financial support available for the project this year. Consequently, the Speaker's Office has reported difficulties in moving forward with urgent renovation work.

It is also reported that, due to concerns regarding the large expenditure involved, Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne has instructed the relevant parties to conduct a thorough review of the proposed costs before proceeding.