President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressed concerns regarding the tourism hotel project involving India’s Taj Samudra Hotel in Nuwara Eliya, stating that the project was lost due to protests.
Last year (2023), protests erupted over reports suggesting that the Government intended to allocate the iconic Nuwara Eliya Post Office building to the Taj Samudra Hotel for a hotel project.
President Wickremesinghe clarified that the Government's intention was to develop hotels on the lands surrounding the Post Office building to enhance tourism in the region.
According to him, the initial plan included renovating the historic Nuwara Eliya post office building while Taj Hotel would construct a hotel on the adjacent land.
The President emphasised that the Government respects the views of the area residents, and if they agree, development plans for Nuwara Eliya will proceed. He reiterated that there were no intentions to demolish the Post office building, only to renovate it.
He also noted that the establishment of one hotel could lead to the development of more hotels in the area, contributing to tourism growth.