Why Hambantota?
Sri Lanka’s flagship investments – the new port, airport, the Commonwealth Games bid – have all been in Hambantota. If you visit Hambantota district you will find that the town itself is quite sleepy and the main highlight is the wildlife.
Hambantota Port
Tangalle, Matara and Galle are nearby and growing fast. Yet, instead of creating something from something there or in the rest of the country, the government is trying to create something out of nothing.
Hambantota is simply not the best place to put a port, airport and stage international sporting events. This is not to say that this development cannot be forced but, like Mihin Air, it wastes a lot of taxpayer money and neglects other more productive investments.
The Port
Take the port. Hambantota has no natural port, the harbour had to be entirely dredged out of the ground. It was then opened on the President’s birthday despite not being actually open. The port is not completely dredged and requires around USD $150 million to complete.
By contrast, Trincomalee already has one of the finest natural harbours in the world which could sorely use such an investment. This is the port used by the British, coveted by world powers and, once, the LTTE. Instead of leveraging this natural asset, we are trying to create a new one, rather inefficiently.
The Airport
Then consider the airport. Putting an airport right near dedicated wildlife sanctuary and distant from large human populations is not the greatest idea. It will, guaranteed, disrupt the wildlife, and if the area does become a hub, that will disrupt and uproot them more. This might be necessary if there were no alternatives, but there are alternatives.
Air traffic to Jaffna would be a guaranteed earner and many other regions (Anuradhapura, Matara) are projected to grow into major cities soon. Instead of supporting their growth, the government is trying to engineer growth some place else, for political reasons.
The Commonwealth Games
Finally, take the Comm-onwealth Games. Aside from being an over-budget, embarrassing mess for India, Sri Lanka has not had the best of luck with sports administration lately. Take the money lost on the Cricket World Cup or the debacle that was (is?) the Sri Lanka Premier League.
Assuming that the government can pull off the games, what use will all the new infrastructure be in such a sparsely populated area? Are people really going to move to Hambantota because they have Olympic swimming pools? That plus transportation and hotel infrastructure could better serve growing southern cities like Matara or Galle or to develop the North and East and to showcase that the government does care. Instead, attention is being lavished on the President’s home district, helping neither the nation nor the district very much.
Helping Sri Lanka
I am all for helping Hambantota, but consider what Hambantota is. The district is renowned and loved for its access to Yala National Park and remains quite accessible via Tangalle, Matara and Galle. Mahinda’s own hometown is near Tangalle. Those areas are developing and could use support, but that must be balanced with the need to preserve the value Hambantota alread has. Furthermore, national development should be in the national interest. We are not leveraging natural assets like the Trinco Harbor and instead gambling on new ones. We are not building infrastructure where people live, but rather where we imagine foreigners would visit.
In the past Kings would move the capital when they felt like it and everyone would just move. It is not like that anymore. If you build it they may not come, just like the Treasury keeps funneling money into Mihin Air despite it not working. Neglecting Sri Lanka Airlines is one thing, but neglecting Sri Lanka is another. That is why we should begin to ask, why Hambantota? Why not Jaffna? Why not Trinco? Why not Galle?
Why commonwealth games in Hambantota? No other reason except to propel the Raja clan including Namal.
In an interview Namal said, the H’tota CWG plan idea came when he was having a chat with some of his friends and he went to the president who agreed.
Any project should be based on long term planning and discussions, options appraisal, financial viability, suitability, ability and capabilities, long term benefits, value for money and benefits, appropriateness, affordability, environmental impact, previous experience etc etc……. but not on immature adult having a discussion with some of his friends. Such plans should be made at least 15 years before by a highest sports body and not because some one has a chat with friends !!!
After all it is costing 1/2 of national budget !!!
Unfortunately our officials, who are simply YES men with out back bone will even try to redefine gravity if a politicians says so!!
No wonder the big holes in H’tota CWG plans… of course they have grandiose games village plans done by an reputed agency. But the games are not only based on such plans. The participants should have access to a vibrant city with shopping, clubbing, amusements and entertainment and not a sleepy fishing village !
71 teams should have training facilities in all sports for many months before the games? Where are they ??
Who is going to use cycling velodromes, lawn bowls , archery stadiums after the games though they will cost billions??? Do they expect people to come watch these alien sports ?
Where is the technical know how, expertise, international standards hospitals including gait labs ?
Will private sector put up 4000 hotel rooms ( which may be equivalent to hotel rooms in the whole of south coast ) just for 10 day games in the vicinity of the village??
Such games are given to main cities due to existing roadways, sports stadiums, technology, expertise, facilities available and no wonder Australian Gold coast has 80% of facilities already available.
The stupidity of this games bid is beyond belief!! If our politicians want to send a mission to Mars from H’tota, still every official will bow down and say… YES SIR !!!
thank god the president wasnt born in Pidurutalagala or nuwara eliya.
or else we’d have an air port n port there as well.
sri lanka is a country who has 34% of the civilians bellow poverty line. thats about 7 million people. hanbantota has just 5lak people.
those mahinda boot lickers defending port and air port, is it ok to spend on olympic swiming pool, cricket stadiums, ports,air port on a dictrict with just 5 lak people and most importantly WAT GOOD DOES OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOL DO TO THOSE POOR CIVILIANS?
Your antipathy for the development of Hambantota has nothing to do with your purported love for any of the other ports or sanctuaries you listed. You hate Rajapaksas and anything that they do. You hate his guts that he does not lick the as…of foreign powers, big or small. He stands for his country and people. For you and the rest of this foreign funded gutter news outlet have no self-respect and would prostitute for any one who would be willing to pay in $. LOL
Mr.Henry no reasonable right thiking person would advocate the development of Hambantota because it is in MR’electorate.Look at the facts man, this so called Port has hardly any ships calling , an Airport is being built far away from the capital and centres of Commerce. The stinking hot sparse semi arid town has hardly any attractions for tourists to visit except Yala which could easily be serviced Thru Tangalle, Matara Or Thissa.. And for the bid to hold the Commonwealth games over the Bid by Australia’s Gold coast this a standing joke. There is no comparison between a thriving tourist Mecca , the haunt of millionaires from all over the world, not far from Brisbane, and the world famous natural wonder of the Great Barrier Reef.Please dont insult the intelligence of people,Who is licking the arse of foreign powers. such as China Iran India and till recent times Gaddaffis. Libya.and as to western powers . This hero of yours hates the west but runs at every turn to justify his dictatoship, thru his running to make speeches at Oxford and being snubbed. Please tell me why his clan including his brothers are U.S ciitizens and so are their progeny. Your Hero loves himself and the power he weilds rather than the country.It is gutless serville people like you who tolerate the injustces that happen daily in this country. Go to the , North and the East and even villages in the dry zone and see the conditions under which thse poor people live, hardly existing on two meals a day while your heroes have their luxury residences and even thei own private Airline Mihin Air. Plus plenty of Commissions to boot with spurious development schemes.
Can not agree more!
For whose benefit are the CWG- Is it for sports! No, no no. 95% of population do not have access to a swimming pool, tarten athletic track, indoor stadiums but the Raja clan is trying to show off with worlds 2nd biggest sporting games including cycling velodromes.
Homagama complex has cost over Rs 400 million for many sports. With the money for CWG ( Rs 500 billion), they can build 1000 such complexes !!!!!
Are people up and down the country with out proper food, schools, roadways clamoring to have games spending 1/2 of wealth of the country???
So, who will benefit….. of course the clan and henchman who will be better off with billions of commissions!
Cricket world cup costing 7 billion made Lanka cricket bankrupt. This madness of CWG will financially decimate lanka worse than the Tsunami!
Chinese backside more of the choice flavour now I guess not the western KFC. Well each to his own.
People put large amount of money for investment or spend large amount of money for some useful purpose or simply spend large of amount of money on lavish item just because they have the money.
When Rajapaksa spent billions of rupees in Hambantota did he tell this is for investment so that we can reap the fruits in the future. Was there any projections on return of investment in the course of say next 20 years ?
Or is this just plain ego trip ? wasting precious resources what could have been used for some thing better?
Before any one judge the writer here, may be we should do a national POLL on this subject “WHY HAMBANTOTA”, I am sure we are all for transparency in governance right ? We are civilized people here.
Bulto dont be concern
Hambantota port is ROCK solid as they come.!!!
This is just a part of the building building of a Dinasty !
your reasons for not having an airport and port in Hambantota is hilarious.
you should do well to read a little bit on criteria for alternate airports and shipping lanes … stuff like that. I think you are way out of your league on this one.
I do agree Sri Lanka going to need more Airports and Sea Ports in the coming years. As the tourism minister opined Sri Lanka is already on its way to over take France as the no one tourist destination in the world and added to that booming economy and mega increase in output in commodity goods from the mega expanding export sector plus oil exports from the soon to be taped mega oil fields will make these infrastructure. necessary. I would opined Sri Lanka will start reclaim land from the sea near future to bill the loosley proposed nuclear power plant unless government is putting that in the back burner for now and concentrating on soon to be held Commonwealth games and F1 Racing track that to be built soon now is the time to start bidding for Soccer World cup, Olympics and Rugby World Cup while the iron is hot.
Nuwan Peiris’ article in South Asia Analysis Group provides a good primer on the topic
I am happy that our president born in Hambantota. If he born in Kanday he will be digging a port in Kandy too. Thank god for letting this creature to born in Hambantota.