Sri Lanka’s ‘white elephant’ Lotus Tower financed with Chinese debt set to open this week
- 350-metre (1,150-foot) Lotus Tower built for an estimated US$113 million has been plagued by corruption claims since construction began in 2012
- Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company will open its observation deck on Thursday because “They can’t keep this closed. The maintenance costs are huge”
The 350-metre (1,155-feet) Lotus Tower – visible from all over Colombo and built for an estimated US$113 million – has been plagued by corruption claims since construction began in 2012 under former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
It is one of several “white elephant” projects built with Chinese loans under Rajapaksa, elder brother of Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was ousted from the presidency in July after months of protests over Sri Lanka’s dire economic crisis.
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China-funded ‘white elephant’ tower opening in Sri Lanka as nation struggles with bankruptcy
The state-owned Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company said they had decided to open its observation deck to visitors from Thursday and earn ticket sales to minimise losses.
“We can’t keep this closed. The maintenance costs are huge,” chief executive Prasad Samarasinghe told reporters. “We want to earn the upkeep of the building and turn this into an entertainment centre.”
The company hopes to rent out office and shop space, including a revolving restaurant just below the observation deck offering views of the congested capital as well as the Indian Ocean.
Broadcasters say the structure, which cannot cover the island nor improve current transmissions from a mountain in the centre of Sri Lanka, is of no use as a communications tower.