A group including religious leaders have handed over a memorandum to the Nuwara Eliya District Secretary requesting that the Nuwara Eliya Post Office building be preserved and not be used for any other business purpose.

This memorandum has been signed by all representatives from postal and telecommunication trade unions, public sector trade unions and the general public.

They have also urged the Nuwara Eliya District Secretary to take measures to hand over the relevant document to President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Meanwhile delivering the 2024 budget speech in the Parliament today, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that the allocation of Nuwara Eliya Post office for the tourism industry is not an isolated incident, but a part of the Nuwara Eliya Development Plan. 

He said there are several massive projects are being implemented in Nuwara Eliya

Wickremesinghe said: “The political groups who protested against every development project did not allow the development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex. They wanted to allow the Nuwara Eliya Post Office to crumble down in the same manner they allowed the oil tanks to corrode and crumble down.” 

“Allocation of Nuwara Eliya Post office for the tourism industry is not an isolated incident. It’s a part of the Nuwara Eliya Development Plan. The establishment of a university in Nuwara Eliya is also a part of the same Development plan. There are several massive projects are being implemented in Nuwara Eliya.”

“They did the same thing for the old post office located inside the Galle Fort. Now that building has been crumbled down. If we allocated that building for the tourism industry at the right time, we still have that historic landmark building. And we earn foreign exchange.”