* Filling sea land for new city in Sri Lanka capital to begin next month
Sun, Apr 17, 2011, 08:02 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Apr 17, Colombo: Sri Lanka is to begin filling the sea land in May to build the proposed Port City attached to Colombo.

The sea land to be filled is from the breakwater of the Colombo South Harbor to the Galle Face in front of the Presidential Secretariat.

Under a directive of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan government is to reclaim between over 400 acres of sea land to build the Port City at a cost of US$ 300 million.

Chairman of the Ports Authority Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama, who is in charge of the construction, says that the new city to be built in a 450-acre land created by filling the sea land will be a separate administrative unit.

The buildings to be constructed in the new city are to be above 35 stories, he told the media.

The proposed offshore city, to be divided into three segments- business, residential and leisure, will be developed into a modern city with high rises, hotels, residential apartments, shopping malls, and other space to cater to the public needs.

Lotus Tower

Lotus Tower to begin work next month

National policy on broadband soon:

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

The final Bill Of Quantities (BOQ) of the proposed Colombo TV tower project is now being finalized.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) expects to start construction work of the tower next month.

The 350-metre tower in Peliyagoda will be constructed with an investment of US $ 103 million. This Lotus Tower will be the latest in the country with seven levels, TRCSL Director General Anusha Palpita told Daily News Business.

The tower is scheduled to be completed within 30 months and will be managed by a public company owned by the TRCSL.

Its shares will be issued to the public once the construction process is completed.

The country has sufficient TV and radio stations to match the frequencies available and we are in the process of re-aligning the radio frequencies to provide a better service to customers. A committee is appointed to study the situation, as at present there are more stations than the country can afford.

“A specialized team of engineers is working on this matter to provide a solution,” he said.

Though there is no room for another mobile service provider the TRCSL will take measures to introduce a player to the market in the event the present mobile industrialists fail to increase broadband penetration in the country.

The TRCSL’s aim is to increase penetration in urban and rural areas, as there is low penetration currently.

The TRCSL is concerned about the broadband speed provided by operators and to ascertain the speed subscribers will have the opportunity of speed testing utility from their own network shortly.

It is in the process of carrying out the initial work on the formulation of a national policy on broadband to enable an effective service, Palpita said.

Sri Lankan version of Rs. 11bn Eiffel tower mooted
Wed, 2010-11-10 02:50 — editor

By Santhush Fernando in Colombo
Colombo, 10 November, (Asiantribune.com):

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa mooted setting up country’s tallest multipurpose tower at a cost of nearly Rs. 11bn (US $ 100) which will be funded by China.

The 350 meter-tall lotus-shaped tower is primarily built to house radio, television, and telephony serving greater Colombo area and will be equipped with restaurants and observation facilities for tourists.

Hopeful of listing 30 percent in Colombo Bourse

Sri Lanka’s telecom watchdog- Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) is hopeful of listing 30 percent of the venture in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) within two years.The Cabinet recently approved the Memorandum of Cabinet presented by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, under whose purview TRC comes.

Broadcasting and telecasting towers together with telecommunication towers located in Colombo and suburbs are to be dismantled in stages, in order to be housed at the Peliyagoda tower. The tower along with the surrounding amusement park, is scheduled to be completed within three years.










SOURCE: http://www.asiantribune.com/news/201...l-tower-mooted

National Performing Arts Theatre

Lotus Pond in the heart of Colombo:
The wonder world of performing artistes

by Padma EDIRISINGHE

Right now it has no name, I mean a cute little name. Its long and official baptismal name however is National Performing Arts Theatre. In Sinhala, Jathika Prasanga Kala Rangahala, a long-felt need in the aesthetic arena of the country.

The big baby, or more correctly, the huge giant is gradually emerging from the womb of the mega city in one corner of the cultural box of Colombo. This box in itself is fantastic in that for about two-and-a-half centuries it has been housing such vital institutions as the National Museum, the Archaeological Department premises and the Royal Asiatic Society premises. No other apt location could the baby have chosen to come out into the wide world.

For those digging into the antecedents of the area, it was at one time blanketed with the Kurundu Kale or the cinnamon groves of Colombo. Once this hotly pursued bride of the Orient, promoted here by the Dutch, was chased away by the British to make way for a swarm of human habitats and commercial complexes with the above mentioned venues too sprouting here and there.

The whole city was burgeoning not only into prominence, but also to an overspill of asphalt constructions that the city found it hard to breathe.

Prof. Nimal De Silva, who leads the Sri Lankan team in the venture of putting up the wonderland, says that the golf links of Colombo came to play the role of the lungs of Colombo enabling the city to breathe.

The Nomads Golf Links, one such land that later was converted into the Municipality Cricket Grounds of Colombo, today is the sprawling area throwing up the ‘wonderland’ with gusto and grandeur.

Springboard for action

According to the Professor, the idea of putting up a spacious venue for performing artistes was born as far away as the Sirimavo Bandaranaike regime. It again made some headway during Chandrika Bandaranaike's regime too, but only as an idea. The springboard for action was the vision and the electrified energy of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. Fuelled by the attention of Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, bristling and vibrant action commenced.

Perhaps, some may argue whether there is the need for such a centre when the city is already endowed with the grand BMICH and other venues such as the John De Silva Theatre (in the vicinity), the Tower Hall, the Elphinstone and Lionel Wendt. But each of them does not aspire to the standards of a proper centre for performing arts.

The BMICH was built as a conference hall and not as a theatre hall and the others specifically built as theatre halls are not spacious enough and lack many a facility.

According to Cultural Ministry sources, the total project is funded by the Chinese Government - 40 percent as a grant and 60 percent as a soft loan. When the Chinese team came in, they had a look around the island for inspiration from Sri Lanka's traditional architecture, and the Lotus Pond of Polonnaruwa caught their roving eye.

So the Theatre for Performing Arts would bloom out in Colombo 7 in exactly the same aesthetic glory that is stamped in our second capital. Artistic motifs such as Palapethi and Narilatha will embellish its balustrades and stairways and ceilings, evoking the cultural efflorescence of the island of centuries gone by.

Seven storeys high, it is again a Sath Mahal Prasada in itself, sprawling in an area, which according to Ministry sources, spans 2.17 hectares, the building covering 15,562 square metres. Its main components are the theatre hall, rehearsal and dressing rooms, large cafeteria, and car park for 550 vehicles. A sophisticated lighting and sound system is another asset.

The petals as they open out provide seating to spectators. The ensuing dazzling view has only to be seen to be believed, but to be seen it is not yet complete and the accompanying visuals will help, constructing the envisaged Nelum Pokuna that will grace our commercial capital from the dawn of the 21st Century.

Nelum Pokuna! It means the Lotus Pond! What more fitting name than this for a venue of aesthetes that will raise the city to the choicest of the world's mega cities in the sphere of cultural showcasing and entertainment of rich vintage?

The writer is indebted to Wimal Rubasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for his assistance in gathering information for this article.




SOURCE: http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2010/03/28/spe01.asp

China gifts performing arts centre

By L.S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

The first International Performing Arts Centre (IPAC) which is a donation from China worth over Rs. 3,200 million will be opened soon. The construction work of this centre which is situated next to the Visual and Performing Arts University of Sri Lanka at Albert Crescent, Colombo 7 will be completed shortly.

The Sunday Observer had an interview with Culture and Arts Ministry Secretary Wimal Rubasingha on the IPAC.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: What is meant by 'Performing Arts'?

A: Performing Arts could be defined as the joint and live presentation of dance, music and drama on stage.

Sri Lanka is endowed with an advanced civilisation and a culture of over 3,000 years.

We have a written record of history in the great chorinicle "Mahawamsa" going back 2,600 years.

Dance, music and drama have been Sri Lanka's pride for centuries. Legend has it that Prince Wijaya, the first king of Sri Lanka heard music when he met Kuveni who was spinning yarn.

Sri Lankans are a highly cultured people largely nourished by Buddhism for over 2,600 years. Buddhism acknowledges the aesthetic values of man.

Q: Why do you say that this is the first international Performing Arts Centre in Sri Lanka.

A: A fully fledged performing Arts Centre was a long-felt need of the Sri Lankan artistes. Although they used the BMICH Theatre, Royal College New Arts Theatre, Elphinstone or Tower Hall they were not perfect performing arts stages.

Q: Can you elaborate?

A: Asian countries such as Japan, China, South Korea have performing arts theatres that have facilities such as moving stages, dressing rooms, rooms for relaxing for artistes and car parks under one roof. The recently refurbished. Tower Hall has only 300 seats. Other centres cannot accommodate more than 500 persons. This was a long-felt need for Sri Lanka.

Q: What made China to donate such a state-of-the-art theatre to Sri Lanka?

A: China and Sri Lanka have had cordial relations throughout history. Famous Chinese Bhikkhus Fa-Hien and Hiyun San visited Sri Lanka in the sixth century.

Archaeological evidence bears testimony to China-Sri Lanka Social, Cultural and Economic relations which go back thousands of years.

Although China was willing to fund a part of the construction cost of the project at the beginning later they expressed wiliness to fund the entire project of Rs. 3,200 million.

Construction materials were imported from China for the project.

The Project Manager IPAC - former Secretary of the Smallholder Development Ministry S. Vithanage said that IPAC has all the facilities of a modern performing art centre.

It consists of an ultra modern moving stage on the ground floor, open arts theatre on fifth floor, 17 dressing rooms, office rooms, canteen and parking facilities for over 300 cars.

The Municipal grounds which has an extent of 2.17 hectares was taken over by the Cultural Ministry to set up the Centre for Performing Arts. The centre is 29 metres high and covers 14,000 square metres, he said.

Construction work of the IPAC is handled by China's Xanjian Group.

Its Deputy Chief Engineer and the Acting Head of the Chinese Staff Han Chunlei said that more than 100 Chinese engineers, technicians and labourers worked up to last month.

At present there are only 37 engineers and technicians tasked with the responsibility of completing the project on target.

Han said that the interior is expected to be completed before the end of this month.Chinese staff will work in Sri Lanka for a couple of months to train their Sri Lankan counterparts in the maintenance and operations work of the centre.

Sri Lankan engineers Gamunu Silva and Nimal Silva are the engineering consultant and architectural consultant for the project.





SOURCE: http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/02/13/fea06.asp




RENDERING OF THE FINISHED BUILDING




SOURCE: http://english.yanjian.com.cn/Photo/...asp?PhotoID=13

This is good decision to improve ceylon tea brand

Sri lankan sea ways is now strengthened by starting a ferry between Colombo and Tuticorin. The name of the ship is Scotia Prince

US$ 1.5 billion financial assistance from China for Sri Lanka's infrastructure projects

thanks for the info.

These are the great pictures of Lotus tower. It looks great in the day but in the night I looks amazing. We can see the lighting of the building. I will go there to see.

In Sri Lanka, the people like the Formula 1?

Actualy, formula 1 isn't a rated game in sri lanka.but it has some youngest crowed atraction.

Hmmm. In the Skyscrapercity i seen a thread wich says in Sri Lanka have a circuit with capacity to albergate a F1 race.

Thanks for the answer and sorry for my bad english

One of the Sri Lanka’s long felt infrastructure needs will be soon fulfilled on September 2, when the first phase of the Colombo-Matara Expressway will be opened up to Galle taking a passenger to the Southern capital in less than one and a half hours. This would also be the country’s first toll highway. The first entry point from Colombo is at Pannipitiya, Makumbura.

Building the expressway







more : http://www.dailymirror.lk/caption-st...xpressway.html