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Pettah bus stand building providing other comforts?
What was meant to provide temporary comfort of accommodation to commuters, the upper floor of the Central Bus Stand (CBS) in the Pettah has allegedly ended up as a brothel while a private individual who had obtained the premises on lease is locked in a legal battle over ownership with the State-run Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB).
Named as “Metro Inn”, the building was renovated after the 1987 Pettah bomb blast. It was originally intended to be rented out to commuters who may have to stay for several hours before boarding a bus to their destination. Twenty rooms with only a bed and a fan are available at Rs. 750 each per day. CBS officials said commuters had complained of call girls accompanying their clients to the upper floor from the Gas Works Street side. But the modus operandi of those operating the alleged brothel is the use of a ground floor building as entrance to the upper floor without drawing public attention. Since the lapse of the lease in 2004, the lessee had not paid the rent, which is far below that stipulated by the Urban Development Authority, SLTB sources said.
Transport Minister A.H.M. Fowzie told The Sunday Times that he was aware that ‘unwanted things’ were taking place at the building, but that he first wanted to resolve the ownership dispute over the building. “After the dispute is resolved we hope to rent the area only for textile shops. No more restaurants will be allowed. We have no option, but allow the tenant to continue as we have to recover the rent. But we will instruct him to convert it into a textile shop so that any unlawful activities could be prevented”, he said. CBS Police Post OIC, SI Chaminda Pinto said the place was never raided, though they had checked it for persons posing any security threats. |
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