The construction of the world’s tallest Christmas tree at Galle Face Green which was stopped has been recommenced, the Ports and Shipping Ministry stated in a release yesterday. The chairman of the committee entrusted the work on the Christmas tree, Mangala P.Gunasekera said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe informed Minister Arjuna Ranatunga to resume construction work. Gunasekera said Prime Minister Wickremesinghe and Minister Ravi Karunanayake had met Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjit and discussed about the Christmas tree before informing Ranatunga to resume construction.
The ministry in a media release stated that certain people informed the Archbishop of Colombo that government funds are being used for the construction which was incorrect.
Gunasekera said yesterday that his committee does not use funds from the ministry, Ports Authority or any other government institution but was only accepting help from private donors. “They too are not providing monies but only the material,” he said.
While noting that the Christmas tree will be open for public viewing from December 20, Gunasekera said that simultaneously several social welfare programmes too will be carried out including educational scholarships for needy children and donations to the ‘Kidney Fund’.
The project was halted on Wednesday after the Archbishop called it a ‘wasteful expenditure’ and said the money should be used instead to build homes for the homeless or to provide scholarships for children.