By Piyasena Dissanayake
UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe called upon the government to tell people the reasons it had spent four times more money than architect’s estimate to construct Sooriyawewa Cricket Stadium in Hambantota.
Addressing a party rally at Akurana on Saturday (16), Wickremesinghe said that architects had estimated the construction cost at Rs 1200 million yet the government has spent Rs 4300 million to build the stadium.
"The massive spending must be investigated fully and the tax payers have a right to know why such an exorbitant amount of funds poured down to set up the stadium. The actual spending is nearly four times more than the estimated cost. Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has misled Parliament and produced false figures regarding the construction of the stadium.We want to know who had pocketed this massive some of money," he said
The UNP Leader said that he had discussed with the two architects who had prepared the estimate of cost of the stadium and they are willing to come before the Committee on Public Enterprises to give evidence in this regard.
"The government must explain to the nation as to why it had arbitrarily spent Rs 4300 million without further delay," he said.
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