Precarious state of Meegoda Economic Centre

Fourteen fish stalls have been closed for more than two years.Traders are facing hardship for want of storage facilities for their goods. Funds amounting to Rs. 8.9 million have been deposited to a different bank account at the instigation of the Trade Ministry of the previous government

Traders are perturbed that the Meegoda Economic Centre is on the verge of collapse due to a series of issues affecting it.

Traders’ Association President at the Economic Centre A. Karunatilleka told the media that the Economic Centre had declined due to mismanagement and that the arrears of taxes payable to the Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha shot up to Rs. 3.2 million and that a surcharge of ten percent is added to it for a day as the late fee.

He pointed out that the Economic Centre had been built on land belonging to the Railways Department but the management failed to acquire it. He pointed out that the CCTV camera system with 16 cameras installed at a colossal expenditure of Rs. 600,000 was defunct now.

He said the wells constructed at the Centre had been abandoned due to lack of maintenance and that the Centre paid Rs. 60,000 a month to the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) for the supply of water. Mr. Katunatilleka said that several officials were appointed haphazardly while the management failed to pay any salary increment to the three minor workers who had been employed at the very inception of the Centre.

“Fourteen fish stalls have been closed for more than two years. Traders are facing hardship for want of storage facilities for their goods. Funds amounting to Rs. 8.9 million have been deposited to a different bank account at the instigation of the Trade Ministry of the previous government without any accounting procedure of fund disbursement from that account.