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Among the current government development projects, the modernization of the Colombo Central Bus Stand, which facilitates the transportation of a huge number of passengers daily, is one of the prominent projects. This is a fact-check of the posts circulating on social media regarding the Colombo Central Bus Stand, which is currently undergoing modernization.
Social Media Posts:
This post has been published claiming that the Colombo Central Bus Stand has not been renovated according to the project plan and that all that has been done is repaint the existing bus stand building, along with two photographs showing what it appears to be after the renovation and what it looks like in the renovation plan.
This post attempts to claim that the bus stand will not look as depicted in the renovation plan, and that its true condition after development differs from the plan.
Other similar posts continued to circulate on Facebook in this manner.
Several notes on the same theme were also exchanged via WhatsApp.
Accordingly, considering the requests to verify the authenticity of the posts circulating on social media, we have taken the following steps to verify the authenticity of these posts.
Fact Check
The Colombo Central Bus Stand Modernization Project, in line with the Clean Sri Lanka program, was launched on 15 September 2025 under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The project was implemented with a budget of Rs. 425 million, a direct labor contribution from the Sri Lanka Air Force, and contributions from institutions including the Colombo Municipal Council, the Electricity Board, the Water Supply and Drainage Board, the Road Development Authority, and the Urban Development Authority. At the start of the project, it was announced that the project was scheduled to be completed before the Sinhala-Tamil New Year in April 2026.
The project plan does not have the kind of finish shown in social media posts.
We initially checked the official website of Clean Sri Lanka and its official social media accounts to see if the photo circulating on social media, showing the final completion of the Pettah Central Bus Stand renovation plan, was official. However, no such photo was found on any of those accounts. The video posted on the official Facebook account of Clean Sri Lanka is below.
Meanwhile, the official website of the Sri Lanka Air Force, which is providing labor for the modernization project, also published the news of the start of the project, along with photos of the relevant modernization plan. However, none of the photos circulating on social media are among those photos.
Additionally, we further checked mainstream media reports to see if a photograph of the Colombo Central Bus Stand Modernization Project plan had circulated on social media. However, no photographs or similar visuals of the proposed finish, as depicted in the social media posts, were found in any media reports on the project. Some news reports are available here, here, and here.
Many mainstream media outlets have recently published news about the status of the project since its inception, and in each of those reports, it was seen how the bus stop is being modernized according to plan. Details here and here.
Clean Sri Lanka
We inquired about the photo circulating on social media, which claims to show the final completion of the Colombo Central Bus Stand renovation plan, and suggests that the project, currently in its final stages, is not the same. The media director stated that the photo had been edited, and that there was no such image in the project plan. The media director also stated that the bus stand renovation is taking place according to the plan released at the beginning of the project, that about 90% of the work has been completed so far, and that preparations are being made to open it to the public before the Sinhala-Tamil New Year, as planned.
A photo processed using artificial intelligence
The photo currently circulating on social media, claiming to show the Colombo Central Bus Stand modernization plan, had been circulating on social media even before the project began.
To verify whether the photo that is being re-circulated on social media was edited using artificial intelligence, we took steps to check the photo by sending it to an AI inspection tool. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the photo in question had been edited using artificial intelligence.
Below is a fact check we previously conducted regarding the Colombo Central Bus Station.
An explanation about the Colombo Central Bus Station, which was said to be renovated after 60 years!
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Conclusion
Our investigation shows that the photo circulating on social media, which appears to show the final completion of the Colombo Central Bus Stand modernization project plan and suggests that the modernization has not been carried out as announced, was not published as part of the relevant project plan. It is a photo that has been circulating on social media since before the project began and was generated using artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the modernization of the Colombo Central Bus Stand is in its final stages and is scheduled to be opened to the public before the upcoming Sinhala-Tamil New Year.
Title: False Claim: Colombo Central Bus Station renovation deviated from the original design
Fact Check By: Sagarika Chathumali
Result: False
