Govt. approves plan for use of Visumpaya, Presidential mansions

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama

The government has granted approval to introduce an appropriate system for the utilization of the Visumpaya bungalow and existing Presidential mansions in various areas under the control of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government.  
Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that there are 50 government bungalows in the Colombo 7 and Colombo 5 areas under the authority of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government.  
These properties were allocated to former Presidents, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and various public institutions.  
In addition, Presidential mansions are located in Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Mahiyangana, Anuradhapura, Kataragama, Jaffna, Embilipitiya and Bentota, all under the administrative authority of the President’s office.  
However, apart from the mansions in Colombo and Kandy, these properties have not been utilized continuously.  
The Visumpaya bungalow in Colombo 2, which was previously used by several state leaders as an official residence, is currently under the administrative authority of the Urban Development Authority.  
Similarly, the Prime Minister’s official residence in Nuwara Eliya is managed by the Prime Minister’s office.  
Despite significant expenditure on the maintenance of these government properties, many remain underutilized.  
In response, the Cabinet has approved a joint proposal by the President and the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government to appoint a committee of officials. This committee will develop strategies to enable these properties to be utilized for economically beneficial purposes.