Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways M. M. Prasanna Gunasena said that a group of people have damaged the sanitation system of the Colombo Central Bus Stand, which has been renovated and opened to the public. He said this while speaking to the media after an inspection tour of the bus stand.
The Deputy Minister, who further commented, pointed out that this damage can occur in two ways. He said that such damage can occur due to mistakes made due to the ignorance or lack of familiarity of the public, or else this could be a deliberate act of destruction by a group of people.
However, he stated that this is not a random incident by targeting and removing only five water taps installed in the women's toilet system, and that it raises reasonable suspicion that it has been done by a group with the aim of gaining political gains.
"This appears to be an organized scheme. Such destruction of public property for political purposes is absolutely unacceptable. We have instructed that legal action be taken in this regard. These taps were removed once before and were removed again last night after being reinstalled," he said.
The terminal, which was opened on April 8 under the patronage of Transport and Highways Minister Bimal Ratnayake, will accommodate over 75,000 passengers and 2,000 buses per day. The ground floor is reserved for bus operations, while the upper floor consists of air-conditioned lounges, shops and modern sanitary facilities.