Cabinet approval has been granted for a Cabinet memorandum presented to the Cabinet by External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris to shift the External Affairs Ministry to Battaramulla and relocate it close to the Parliament, Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.
Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Government Information Department Auditorium yesterday Minister Rambukwella said that the External Affairs Ministry will be shifted to Battaramulla due to the expansion in the functions and responsibilities of the ministry and to accommodate the number of operational divisions and staff which has increased fourfold over the past two decades.
According to Minister Rambukwella the 150 year old Republic Building where the External Affairs Ministry is located now requires extensive repairs and would not be cost effective in the long run. Considering these facts Cabinet approval has been granted to shift the External Affairs Ministry to Battaramulla and relocate it in a land of 3.5 acres in extent in close proximity to the Parliament, Minister Rambukwella added. NG
Source: Daily News (04 November 2011)
