Drug addicts steal several electric cables and other parts of Golden Gate Kalyani bridge

The lighting system of the ‘Golden Gate Kalyani’ bridge is no longer in operation due to the theft of several electric cables, Director General of the Road Development Authority L.V.S. Weerakoon said.

This was revealed in a news briefing held yesterday (July 14) where he said the losses caused due to the removal of such accessories on the New Kelani Bridge, Katunayake, Central and Southern expressways had been estimated at a sum of approximately Rs. 275 million.

“As a result of the damage done to the cable system on the Katunayake Expressway, we are unable to provide lights on a stretch of 13 kilometers along the expressway.

“The damage caused to the Katunayake Expressway and the New Kelani Bridge has been estimated at Rs. 250 million and Rs. 25 million respectively,” he added.

He further raised concerns about several such robberies that have also taken place on the Katunayake, Central and Southern highways, and thereby urged the public to inform the police of any such thefts, via the hotline 1969.

The ‘Golden Gate Kalyani’ bridge was vested with the public on November 21, 2021, at a cost of Rs. 50 billion.

When asked who is responsible for these activities, Weerakoon said that according to the police, most of them are drug addicts living around the respective areas, adding that police had arrested some of the suspects and so far recovered accessories worth Rs. 4.5 million which had been sold to nearby shops.