N. Lokadayalan
A request under the Right to Information Act revealed that the Keerimalai Presidential Palace, constructed during the tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and its surrounding area have been leased to a private university for USD 10,000 per year.
This Presidential Palace, built on private land, has been leased by the Urban Development Authority to a private university named ‘NorthernUni’.
When a request was made under the Right to Information Act for a copy of the lease agreement, the Urban Development Authority refused to provide it. Subsequently, an appeal was submitted to the Right to Information Commission requesting a copy of the lease agreement, and the commission, after reviewing the appeal, directed the Urban Development Authority to provide a written response.
During this period, the Urban Development Authority provided the author with a copy of the agreement made with the private university named ‘NorthernUni’.
According to the information stated therein, the agreement was reached on October 16, 2023. The document states that ‘NorthernUni’ must pay USD 10,000 annually to the Urban Development Authority as rent for the Keerimalai Presidential Palace.This agreement is for 50 years.
According to the agreement USD 10,000 must be paid for the first year, and subsequently, the amount to be paid each year will increase by 0.5%.
Although a model plan is attached to the agreement, no survey plan of the land is shown anywhere in the map or in any part of the memorandum of understanding.
Clause 6.8 of the agreement comprises contradictory information such as the Urban Development Authority must complete the remaining activities related to the acquisition of the land within 180 days of signing the agreement. And if not, the Urban Development Authority must complete the land acquisition activities within three months.
The University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka is a stakeholder and has endorsed this agreement. It is noted in Clause ‘O’ that the agreement was approved without any objection by the Divisional Secretary of Valikamam North on 2023-08-23.
Clause 5.3 of the agreement states that if for any reason the place cannot be handed over to ‘NorthernUni,’ the contractor’s money must be returned. Clause 5.6 states that the value must be estimated, but the value is not mentioned anywhere. Clause 6.9 states that the money received by the investor from the assessed value shall be paid to the landowner.
Thus, the documents obtained through the Right to Information Act reveal that the agreement to lease the Keerimalai Presidential Palace to a private university is an incomplete document with no contradictory content.
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