Sri Lanka, June 9 -- State bungalows which were assigned to Cabinet Ministers as their official residences in the past currently remain idle under the current government even after months despite its pre-election promise to repurpose them for economically viable activities.

In the run up to the elections last year, the ruling National People's Power (NPP) pledged that such valuable properties would not be assigned to ministers, a departure from the practice of the past governments, in a bid to reserve them for economically viable activities. It was cited as a move to save on public money while generating income for the state.

More than seven months have lapsed now after the presidential election conducted in September, last year, but t...