Jazzed up Green at what price?
By Chris Kamalendran

Everyone had free access to this Green even when it was brown. Would that opportunity be robbed from thousands of less-privileged people who flock the Galle Face Green, now that it has been privatised?

The UDA, after spending millions of rupees to upkeep the 144 year-old Green has now given it to EAP Edirisinghe Group of Companies on a two year lease amounting to Rs. 9 million.

The agreement was reached between the UDA and EAP Edirisinghe last week and under this the popular Galle Face Green would be converted to a mega entertainment and leisure park.

UDA Director General K.V. Dharmasiri said they were leasing the Green because they were incurring a loss of Rs. 500,000 a month on maintenance. He said the revenue they collected from makeshift food stalls, ice cream vendors and mobile food vehicles was insufficient to pay the electricity and water bills.

"Some times the vendors do not have sufficient profits to pay their monthly bills to the UDA. Therefore we are forced to pay up and incur the losses," Mr. Dharmasiri said.
Many vendors voiced their fear that they may lose their livelihood as they would have to face stiff competition, if food courts come up as planned. They say they will now be forced to pay higher rents.

Longstanding shop keeper, Jesu Vadivan told The Sunday Times that they may lose out when the big -time food courts come up. He said currently there are about 42 stalls on the Green, and more competition may force them out of business.
He said already there was a move to get the vendors to sell one particular brand of soft drink, but they had protested against the move. He also said the vendors were told at a recent meeting with the UDA that they would have to settle their monthly bills with the company.

The other concern that people have raised is whether they would have free access. Both the UDA and the company at the moment claim that visitors to the park would have free access.

Mr. Dharmasiri said that according to the agreement only 10 per cent of the Green would be used for entertainment activities on a commercial basis. The rest could be used by the public.

But, some of the vendors who are already aware of the details about the proposed programme fear that an entrance fee would be gradually imposed. They cited Sathutu Uyana as an example where entrance was free, but on most weekends the park was booked by certain private sector companies, denying free access to the public.
But EAP's Director Sales and Marketing Hafeez Rajudin assured that no restrictions would be placed on the public and that only good would come out of the proposal as the Green would be maintained better.

He said that among the proposed plans were theme nights, movies, fashion shows musical shows and food courts confirming to international standards.(See separate story). He said the food courts would offer Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian food with chefs from the respective countries brought down.

Meanwhile former Minister of UDA, Mangala Samaraweera who was the chief architect behind renovating the Galle Face green during the PA regime said he feared that the new proposal would restrict the movement of people and their free access to the Green.

"This has been a place for the family and it is public property. I am studying the agreement. If I feel it is a questionable deal I would go to courts," he said. In early 1995 there were protests about a proposal to sell the Green for Commercial use to a British Company which was trying to build a highway from Galle Face to Mount Lavinia.

Even way back in 1875, when there was a proposal to build a Colombo - Moratuwa railway line through the Galle Face Green, it was called off due to protests.

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