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President’s House & Temple Trees to be moved out to Kotte

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The President’s House, the Secretariat, and the Prime Minister’s official residence Temple Trees have been earmarked to be moved out of Colombo city to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and may be kept open only as a tourist attraction.

Urban Development Authority (UDA) Director General Prasad Ranaweera told that on the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe,  they were looking for alternative land in the Sri Jaywardenapura-Kotte area to have the administrative complex in one location.

He said that after the identification of the location they hoped to report back to the President to draw out plans for a phased shift of the buildings.

Under a proposed ‘New Colombo Heritage City Plan’, the President’s House, the Secretariat and the Temple Trees building and the Prime Minister’s office on Flower Road are likely to be protected as tourist attractions.

Under the plan, a string of other buildings in Colombo city are to be re-offered for lease to investors.

Accordingly, the General Post Office, the Foreign Ministry building, Police Headquarters, Air Force Headquarters, Navy Headquarters, Visumpaya, Shrvasthi (former MP’s hostel), the Gafoor building, the Irrigation Department building at Jawatte Road, the Welikada Prisons and the old Defence Ministry building at Galle Face have been identified to be leased out.

He said the objective was to lease out the buildings for boutique hotels where the investors would be able to renovate the building while preserving its original identity.

Mr. Ranaweera said they would be looking at leasing out the buildings for more than 30 years with concessionary terms on taxes.

He said that under the Heritage City Plan, they also hoped to have a sheltered corridor between the Gafoor building and the Port City so that the people could make use of the passage.

He said the President had instructed the UDA itself to carry out some of the development activities and hand them over to the investors to avoid delays and issues in acquiring lands.

Urban Development Prasanna Ranatunga Minister told the Sunday Times discussions had begun with potential investors and among them had been investors from Georgia.  He said all measures would be taken to preserve the identity of the old buildings.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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Showers expected part of the island

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Showers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts today (June 26), the Department of Meteorology said.

Fairly heavy rains of about 50 mm are likely at some places.

A few showers may occur in the Anuradhapura and Matale districts.

Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva and Eastern provinces during the afternoon or night.

Meanwhile, fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee and Hambantota districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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NTC approves 2.5% reduction in bus fares (Update)

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The National Transport Commission (NTC) has approved a 2.5% reduction in bus fares effective from July 01 in line with the annual bus fare revision.

During a discussion between Transport Ministry officials and representatives of private bus associations, the government’s proposal to reduce bus fares by 2% was met by objections raised by bus operators.


(Previous News on 25th June 2025 at 4:51pm)

Bus associations oppose proposal of 2% fare reduction

The government’s proposal to reduce bus fares by a 2% effective from July 01 has led to the strong disapproval of bus associations, reports say.

It was also proposed not to revise the fares of the first two stages.

The announcement was made during a meeting between officials of the Transport Ministry and representatives of private bus associations to discuss the annual bus fare revision, scheduled for July 01.

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2025 A/L exam dates announced

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The Department of Examinations has confirmed that the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examination will be held from Nov. 10 – Dec. 05, 2025, 

Accordingly, applications for the 2025 G.C.E. A/L exam will be accepted online from June 26 to July 21, 2025.

It is further stated that students of government schools and government-approved private schools must submit their applications through their respective school principals, while private candidates are required to submit their applications themselves.

A statement by the Department of Examinations noted that private applicants must use their National Identity Card (NIC) number when applying for the examination.

Applicants are advised to visit the official website of the Department of Examinations of Sri Lanka, www.doenets.lk or www.onlineexams.gov.lk/eic, to carefully read the relevant instructions and submit their applications accordingly. After submitting the application, candidates are urged to keep a printed copy with them in case of an emergency.

The username and password required by school applicants to submit their applications have already been provided to the respective school principals.

Applications will not be accepted after 12.00 midnight on July 21, 2025. It is also emphasized that the closing date will not be extended under any circumstances, the statement added.

For further inquiries, applicants are advised to contact the Department of Examinations via the following telephone numbers or email : Tel: 011-2784208, 011-2784537, 011-2785922 / Hotline: 1911 / Email: [email protected]

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