News
Galle’s heritage site is crumbling
View(s):The Galle Fort Heritage Site -launched by the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa (in 1991) lies in a badly neglected state. Several of its buildings have started collapsing raising concerns, it may soon resemble the ruined cities at Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa.
Story and pix by Sirangika Lokukarawita
Under late President Premadasa’s plan the site was to house a Postal Museum, Tourist Information Centre, an ffice for the conservation of the site, and an Urban Development Authority office for the south.
However, the project was never implemented and today it is not uncommon to see trees growing on the roofs of buildings, walls collapsing and roofs on some of the buildings caving in.
Meanwhile several other plans to maintain site -which is a major tourist attraction- have only been limited to words sans action.
The old police barracks going to wrack and ruin
The post office at the Heritage site has begun falling apart. Our picture shows an area where the roof has come down
The ‘Black Fort’ is part of the original Galle Fort. However it is rarely visited despite its history as it lies in proximity to the Galle police station
The one which escaped! The Dutch Hospital has been renovated, an example of what could be done
The rear of the old post office