By Randev Jayasinha
The Board of Investment (BOI) inked agreement to build a vehicle assembly plant in Kuliyapitiya has still not taken off, The Sunday Morning learnt.
The project, which was estimated to be a $ 1 billion investment is currently stagnant with no progress in sight.
General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Dayasiri Jayasekera told The Sunday Morning that even after three years, the construction process of the assembly plant still remains a mystery.
The MP further alleged that no legal plans had been presented for authorisation with regard to the BOI investment project and that presently the plans received for authorisation were that of a hall-like area but not of a vehicle assembly plant.
However, Deputy Minister for Strategic Development and International Trade Nalin Bandara told The Sunday Morning that due to the recent controversies involving the Volkswagen company, investors had been reluctant to carry on with investments in the plant.
"However, at present, the foundation has been laid and we are awaiting the commencement of the construction process. The details have to be still authorised as to who the plant will be working with, but it is highly likely that the plant will not be assembling parts for Volkswagen."
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe placed the foundation stone on 3 January 2017 for the construction of the vehicle assembly plant in Kuliyapitiya.
However, currently, only a vocational training centre is operating at the site, where youth are being trained in the skills needed to work in the assembly plant, once constructed.
The Board of Investment (BOI) inked agreement to build a vehicle assembly plant in Kuliyapitiya has still not taken off, The Sunday Morning learnt.
The project, which was estimated to be a $ 1 billion investment is currently stagnant with no progress in sight.
General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Dayasiri Jayasekera told The Sunday Morning that even after three years, the construction process of the assembly plant still remains a mystery.
The MP further alleged that no legal plans had been presented for authorisation with regard to the BOI investment project and that presently the plans received for authorisation were that of a hall-like area but not of a vehicle assembly plant.
However, Deputy Minister for Strategic Development and International Trade Nalin Bandara told The Sunday Morning that due to the recent controversies involving the Volkswagen company, investors had been reluctant to carry on with investments in the plant.
"However, at present, the foundation has been laid and we are awaiting the commencement of the construction process. The details have to be still authorised as to who the plant will be working with, but it is highly likely that the plant will not be assembling parts for Volkswagen."
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe placed the foundation stone on 3 January 2017 for the construction of the vehicle assembly plant in Kuliyapitiya.
However, currently, only a vocational training centre is operating at the site, where youth are being trained in the skills needed to work in the assembly plant, once constructed.