Sri Lanka opposition legislator Harsha de Silva has queried a 200 million dollar investment claim made by a private contractor which has been used to justify high fees charged from tourists for entry visas.
“Can this be real?” de Silva asked in an x.com message publishing what was believed to be a cabinet memo.
” IVS-GBS Global to invest USD 200 million (tech for website and cameras?) as per Cabinet Memo justifying outsourcing at USD 18.50+/visa. “Where did this investment go?
He also questioned whether VFS Global was added later to the consortium.
According to media reports SLT-Mobitel was willing to run a system at 1 dollar per visa.
Sri Lanka’s Immigration Department had a user-friendly website which had drawn praise from tourists and travel websites.
As part of the shift, visa fees were pushed up from 50 to 100 dollars.
Sri Lanka’s cabinet has now approved a 50-dollar single entry visa after protests from the industry, according to statement issued late Monday.
Source: Economynext
