Kalpitiya lands on 99-year lease
View(s):The government is planning to provide a 99-year lease for land to investors at the Kalpitiya Integrated Tourism Resort Project (KITRP) instead of the earlier 30-year lease and Cabinet approval to this effect will be sought soon, informed sources said.
They said the tender board for this project last year recommended that the Expressions of Interests (EOIs) that were called in 2010 to develop this zone be cancelled, while direct negotiations with the Treasury by interested parties were encouraged by Treasury officials. However with the change of plan KITRP is yet to get any investors.
When the Business Times asked a government official why the Procurement Committee (tender board) didn’t recommend any of the six parties that were shortlisted by the initial proposal evaluator of this project, the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), he said, “We are not here to accept everything that TEC recommends – this is why the tender board is there.”
He reiterated that they weren’t ‘serious’ investors. “What they want to do is reserve these lands and then look for investors. That’s why we say that they are not ‘real investors,” he added. One of the applicants of this project told the Business Times that they are scouting opportunities in Cambodia and other South East Asian countries and have given up on Sri Lanka, due to the delays.
Those who submitted proposals to put up tourist resorts, golf courses, marinas, etc at Kalpitiya were Senok Group, Evergreen Hotels, Jetwing Group, Mackwoods Travels, Pathfinder, Sapphire Bay Resorts, Abans, Sun Marina, Ambika Windmills, Upali Travels, Makara and Integrated Resorts.
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