Lanka Government Network (LGN)2.0 project has been completed connecting around 800 government instructions including ministries departments etc amidst allegations of mal practices and corruption.
In a collaborative move by the Government and the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), Sri Lanka Telecom was chosen as the total communication service provider and communication infrastructure provider to the Lanka Government Network.
Prime Ministers office is now conducting investigations into SLT official’s involvement in handing over the project to subcontractor violating contractual agreement and mal practicing.
Minister Harin Fernando’s involvement in the deal is also under investigation at present.
The LGN is a strategic project produced and designed in order to unify and upgrade government establishments by use of a single network.
As well as connecting government agencies and public institutions, the network is being used to provide free public Wi-Fi to citizens.
The LGN2.0 project is being overseen by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). It has a total budget of 12.7 billion rupees ($86.1 million)
Government and ICTA have awarded the project to Sri Lanka Telecom as SLT is the only license holder in the country with the ability to deal with last mile fibre optic solutions as well as the national backbone network.
But in an underhand deal has given subcontract to EZY Corporation a Technology Distributor for Computer Components which was one of the bidders to LGN2.0 project.
In turn EZY has handed over the contract to Millennium IT and the LGN2.0 project has BEEN completed changing hands with thee companies.
This under hand process has been carried out with the connivance of several officials of SLT who received commissions from the EZY deal recently and later promoted to high posts in SLT digitalization initiative.
(LI)