Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr Harsha de Silva has raised concerns over a digital mishap at the historic Polonnaruwa heritage site, where tourists attempting to access historical information through a QR code were instead redirected to wristwatch advertisements.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday (12), Dr de Silva tagged Digital Infrastructure Minister Anura Dissanayake, presidential advisor Dr Hans Wijayasuriya, and the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), urging them to immediately address the issue.

“Digital Minister @anuradisanayake, advisor Dr Hans and @icta_srilanka please fix this right away. So embarrassing… tourists trying to learn Polonnaruwa #SriLanka history via QR code but offered wrist watches instead. Please maintain these simple things from the past,” he posted.

Responding to the tweet, ICTA acknowledged the concern, thanking Dr de Silva for highlighting the problem. “ICTA team is looking into the matter and preliminary findings can be conveyed later when ready,” they said.

However, as of Saturday evening, the issue remained unresolved, with the faulty QR code still failing to direct users to the intended heritage content.

Polonnaruwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Sri Lanka’s key cultural attractions.