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RDA, Swimming Club make conflicting claims on demolition
The Colombo Swimming Club (CSC) ignored repeated requests to remove structures from the land acquired from it for road expansion, forcing the Road Development Authority to go to court, RDA Chairman told the Sunday Times. However, CSC President Tony de Livera accused the RDA of using strong arm tactics that saw dozens of foreign tourists fleeing in fear from the exclusive club.
“They gave us no warning,” he claimed, saying there were many women and children inside the premises when the RDA turned up with bulldozers and armed police to demolish the structures. RDA Chairman Nihal Sooriyarachchi said the Club management had known since last year that a part of the club premises would be demolished for the Marine Drive expansion up to Galle Face. The RDA had also informed the US Embassy and Grand Hyatt Colombo that some sections of their properties would be taken over.
The US Embassy had consulted Washington and agreed to the move, but had asked the RDA to give them a few months so that it could move some sections to the new complex under construction in an adjoining block, the RDA chief said. “We agreed to this, so no structures in the area were demolished until the end of June,” Mr Sooriyarachchi said. “In the meantime, we continued to expand the road from Galle Face and from Mount Lavinia.”
The US embassy also accepted the valuation assessment of the land that would be taken over. “The negotiations with the embassy went very well,” the RDA Chairman said. “They have even offered to assist in the construction of the road in the section of Embassy property that was acquired. We will be demolishing those structures in the coming days.”
“Negotiations with the management of Grand Hyatt were similarly successful. The CSC, however, continually tried to delay giving up their property for road expansion,” Mr Sooriyarachchi alleged. “While US Embassy officials visited the RDA on numerous occasions to discuss their issue, the CSC management did not come even once,” he said.
The structures at the club were due to be demolished last November. But the club appealed to the RDA and the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) requesting time till February as foreign tourists tourists had booked their rooms, Mr Sooriyarachchi claimed, adding that the club had offered to remove the structures itself..
“Later the club said it cannot accept the compensation that was being offered and needed to bring the issue before its members’ committee,” he continued. “They gave various excuses until we simply had enough of them and went to court.” Mr Sooriyarachchi dismissed claims that the RDA had concealed the court order from the club for days before turning up on Friday afternoon. “We are not obliged to inform them beforehand that we are coming,” he said, adding that the RDA had given ample time for the club to remove the structures. “But they were more concerned with applying delaying tactics.”
Mr. de Livera said the RDA had obtained the court order on July 7 and had waited until July 21 to execute it. “They deliberately concealed the order from us till Friday afternoon to ensure that we couldn’t go to court to prevent it. If they had given us even a little time, we could have explained the situation to our guests and avoided a mass panic.”
He accused the RDA of causing millions of rupees in damage to valuable property and equipment in its haste to demolish the structures. One water pump which was destroyed was used for the club’s pond and that alone was worth Rs.1 million, he claimed. The club’s president acknowledged that they had refused to accept compensation offered by the RDA since the amount offered was extremely low. “We are losing 70 perches from our property and they have valued it at Rs.4 million a perch. But in this area, a perch goes for Rs.20 million.”
After the RDA demolished the pool area on Friday, guests staying in some 20 rooms close to the pool left within hours. Others are also leaving, he added. “Who is going to compensate us for loss of business?” he asked. Mr de Livera claimed that the club, as an entity, was all but finished, pointing out that the club’s swimming pool was no longer there. “We may as well rename it the Colombo Seaside Club,” he said wryly.