Prez. justifies using historical post office buildings for tourism

President Ranil Wickremesinghe today justified the allocation of the Nuwara Eliya Post Office to the tourism industry.

During the Budget 2024 reading, Wickremesinghe said the decision is not an isolated move but part of the broader Nuwara Eliya development plan.

The proposal to hand over the 130-year-old Nuwara Eliya Post Office building and the Kandy Post Office to the private sector for development sparked major outrage last week among diverse stakeholders, including foreign tourists.

The proposal was to transform the buildings into hotels.

Reading the proposals, President Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of utilizing historic buildings for foreign exchange earning purposes.

He cautioned that if timely action is not taken, which is to renovate and restore, the buildings would deteriorate, similar to that of the Galle Post Office.