Towering Ambitions | Daily News

Towering Ambitions

The Lotus Tower, (Nelum Kuluna) the latest landmark in Colombo, will be ceremonially opened by President Maithripala Sirisena today. The 350-metre free standing tower, South Asia’s tallest, will function primarily as a radio/television and telecom transmission hub with a secondary tourism and entertainment function. The tower will be able to accommodate 50 radio broadcasters, 20 telecommunication service providers and 50 television broadcasters.

At one time, the future of Lotus Tower was not so certain. It was one of the many controversial projects launched by the previous administration. People were naturally wary of the project as the former Government had launched a series of ‘white elephant’ projects such as the Mattala International Airport and the Hambantota Port, which had brought little economic benefit to the country.

The second major building in the country to be called ‘Lotus’ (the Nelum Pokuna Performing Arts Theatre is the first), the Lotus Tower was mooted during the second tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. When the present Government came to power in 2015, there were calls for the Lotus Tower project (then already under construction) to be scrapped, but having considered various options and projected economic benefits, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreed that it should continue.

The project cost around US$ 104 million, 80 percent of which came from the EXIM Bank of China. This will add to the long list unique buildings constructed in Sri Lanka with Chinese assistance. The 13-level tower with a total land area of 36,000 Sq Metres also comprises a telecommunication museum, a revolving restaurant (one round in 90 minutes), supermarkets, a shopping mall, food courts, a 1,000-seater auditorium, luxury hotel rooms, ballrooms and an observation gallery. There will be adequate parking facilities for visitors’ vehicles.

It is now imperative to have a proper body and mechanism to manage it properly so that it can eventually turn a profit. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) is the lead Government agency responsible for the Lotus Tower, but the Cabinet has approved a proposal presented by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to empower the General Treasury to establish a Government-owned company to administrate the commercializing activities.

This timely proposal should be implemented without delay. This body should be allowed to operate with a fair degree of autonomy, professionalism and transparency in the wake of losses suffered by many other Government entities. After all, the Lotus Tower project has already seen a loss of 5,475 million incurred by the Government due to the delay in construction (work began in 2012 and was supposed to end in 2015), according to the Auditor General’s Department, which also uncovered several other malpractices related to the project.

It would not be easy to recover at least some of this massive amount of money – it needs a sound business plan and a dedicated team to see it through. First, there must be an extensive awareness and publicity campaign. Just days ahead of the opening, there is still very little information available on the shopping mall and banquet facilities – tenders for these should have been awarded sometime back. It is only by maximizing the opportunities presented by the Lotus Tower that it could at least recover part of the investment.

The aggregation of telecom and TV towers at one place could hopefully reduce the need to build towers every few kilometres. Besides, the trend now is for Pico Cells, which are tiny repeaters or signal boosters that can be installed at a fraction of the cost of huge cellular towers. All electronic media and telecom provides must be encouraged to shift to the Lotus Tower, which is in a very central location.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) should also be involved closely with the work of the Lotus Tower, for its tourism potential is immense. The Lotus Tower is already on the lists of “top 10 attractions in Colombo” and this momentum must be maintained. When lit at night, it is already the cynosure of all eyes in Colombo. If the ride to the observation deck and other tourist facilities can be attractively priced, it will surely be a ‘hit’ among both local and foreign tourists alike. Other countries which have similar towers market them heavily with a view to getting tourist dollars and we should do so too.

The Lotus Tower is no doubt a novel experience and a game changer for Sri Lanka’s economy. The onus is now on the relevant authorities to prevent any further losses, make it work and let it shine.


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