The Colombo flower exhibitors who were requested by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to move their stall from Vihara Maha Devi Park to Water’s Edge in Battaramulla said today that they were dismayed by their new exhibition location which they said was similar to a pig sty.

The Vihara Maha Devi Floral Exhibition Organisers Consortium Convener, Chandana De Silva said that flower exhibitors have found that the area is not suitable for the exhibitions. “Due to the heavy rain in the past few days the entire flower exhibition area is covered in mud. Visitors who come to our exhibitions are covered knee-deep in mud. When there is no rain there is excess dust and it is difficult to keep your eyes open,” De Silva said.

Flower exhibitors were requested by the UDA to vacate the Vihara Maha Devi Park which they occupied since 1987 due to the Defence Ministry’s’ plans to beautify Colombo city. “At the previous location we earned some Rs.5,500 each week but now we earn a meagre amount of about Rs.1,000 on a weekly basis. We have lost all the high-income group customers and have to settle with what we have now,” he said.

He said out of the land which was initially promised to the flower exhibitors a significant portion has been taken over by the Foreign Ministry as well as the Sri Lanka Electricity Board. Where they could earlier put up 80 stalls they can now only set up not more than 55 flower stalls, he said.

The flower exhibitors have been requested by the Waters Edge management and the UDA to pay for 50% of the construction work necessary to properly set up the exhibition stalls while requesting them to subsidise their weekly rent paid to Water Edge which is Rs.45,000. The exhibitors have already spent about Rs.150,000 to set up stalls in the new location, he said. (Olindhi Jayasundere)