SA Games icons, who has been removing them?

The Road Development Authority (RDA) is believed to have been pulling out hoardings worth Rs. 2 million advertising the South Asian Games to be held in Sri Lanka from August 18 where eight countries are scheduled to take part.

Nalin Attygalle, Chairman Marketing and Sponsorship Committee of the SA Games said yesterday that he had explained the situation to the Colombo Municipal Council and that they had agreed to support the cause. However Attygalle said that he had been aghast to see that some of the icons hung on lamp posts advertising the SA Games had been removed.

Attygalle had asked Mr. Hemasiri Fernando of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) to speak to Mr. Siri Samarasekera of the RDA not to damage or remove these hoardings and Mr. Samarasekera had agreed to support the cause. But then who is responsible for removing these icons? asked Mr. Attygalle.

Sri Lanka Telecom had ventured forward to advertise on these icons at a cost of nearly Rs. 2 million.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the patron of the SA Games to be held here and as such Nalin Attygalle said that he expected everybody who had the interest of the country and the SA Games at heart should be supporting the cause.

The RDA is conducting a city beautification campaign and it is believed that removal of these icons has something to do with it.