Malpractices at Coastal Leisure Park project
When the government introduced the Coastal Leisure Park Development Project under its “Clean Sri Lanka” national programme, it had promised to transform 43 coastal belts in 14 districts into leisure havens. With pathways, viewing points, and greenery, tourism was to be developed while creating much-needed recreational facilities for citizens.
But at Mahamodara Beach in Galle, what began as a green initiative is now raising red flags over corruption and misuse of public funds. Isula Construction is involved in the project. It is a firm reportedly owned by an officer of the Department of Coast Conservation, the same department overseeing the project.
Instead of benches and sapling plantations, the first phase of Mahamodara’s project has turned into the construction of a massive stone wall along the Galle-Matara road, other officials said.
The wall, costing several millions, is being built without an approved estimate, tender process, or procurement procedure. Worse still, it encroaches into the road reservation zone of the Road Development Authority without the legally required approval.
“If public funds are released for this wall, it is nothing short of daylight robbery,” a senior official at the Coast Conservation Department told the Sunday Times Business on condition of anonymity. “The procedures we strictly follow in the North and East have been blatantly ignored in Galle.”
Nationally, Rs. 95 million has been allocated for beach parks. In the Northern and Eastern provinces, each park has cost around Rs. 3-4 million, following proper procedure. But in Galle, the Mahamodara project alone is set to cost Rs. 16-17 million, sparking suspicions of inflated costs and backdoor deals.
Environmentalists are equally alarmed. “The whole idea of these parks was to protect the coast and create green spaces,” said a coastal ecologist. “Building stone walls make no ecological sense. It destroys the natural charm of Mahamodara and betrays the programme’s original vision.”
For locals, the disappointment is personal. “We were told this park would bring trees, benches, and walking areas for families,” said Sunil Mahawatte Arachchi, a resident of Galle. “Instead, they are building a wall that nobody asked for. It feels like the money is going into someone’s pocket, not into our community.”
Tourism operators fear the damage too. “Mahamodara is special because it is untouched,” noted Chamari de Silva, who runs a small guesthouse nearby. “If these projects are abused, tourists will lose trust in Sri Lanka’s image as a clean and green destination.”
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