Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that expenses incurred by the government to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo next month will be an investment for the future of the country and its people.
Addressing a function held on Thursday to declare open the face-lifted Bandaranaike Memorial international Conference Hall (BMICH), the main venue for the Commonwealth Summit , Rajapaksa claimed that misleading propaganda on the government’s spending would be proved wrong.
Speaking of the benefits to the people, Rajapaksa outlined,
“So far $1.5billion worth of investments have been brought into the country. In order to attract more foreign investors, fiscal incentives need to be provided; infrastructure and abroad connectivity needs to be put in place. The public would have noticed that highways have been built and townships are being beautified in the run up to CHOGM. The hospitality and hotel industry will reap a lot of benefits as room occupancy will be at full capacity during the next few weeks and up to7000 rooms will be utilised by the delegates participating in the meeting and the parallel forums.”
The development for CHOGM has seen southern cities receive a makeover to host guests for the summit.