No knowledge of sea bridge project: Sri Lankan Minister
A few days after India’s Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha about a project to build a sea bridge and tunnel connecting Sri Lanka, his counterpart, Lakshman Kiriella, has said the matter has not been discussed with his government.
“We are not aware of this proposal,” Mr. Kiriella, Leader of House in Parliament, told The Hindu on Saturday.
Asked persistently whether the subject was raised with his government, the Minister said “not to my knowledge.” He hastened to add that he was not aware whether “private enquiries” were being made about the project.
According to Mr. Gadkari, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was willing to fund a bridge-building project connecting Rameswaram to Talaimannar in Sri Lanka.
Project cost
The India-Sri Lanka connectivity project was estimated to cost about INR 24,000 crore.
When Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited New Delhi in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the matter with him, Mr. Gadkari had said, adding that an agreement had been entered into with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal for seamless flow of traffic and passenger vehicles.
Ever since India’s Ministers began making statements on the matter six months ago, the Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has been saying that it had no information.
Many groups and parties here, especially those claiming to represent interests of Sinhalese-Buddhists, have expressed opposition to the project on the ground that this would not benefit Sri Lanka.
In August 2003, Mr. Wickremesinghe, who was Prime Minister then too, had talked of the bridge proposal as part of his idea of developing the South India-Sri Lanka sub-region as a single market that would provide more opportunities for the economic growth of both countries.
(Source: The Hindu)
Latest Headlines in Sri Lanka
- Defence Secretary inspects disaster relief operations in Jaffna November 28, 2024
- Sri Lanka President holds virtual meeting with World Bank Chief on development priorities November 28, 2024
- Moody’s may upgrade Sri Lanka’s credit rating after bond exchange offer November 28, 2024
- Sri Lanka postpones 2024 G.C.E. A/L examination due to adverse weather November 28, 2024
- Severe flooding impacts over 276,000 in Sri Lanka November 28, 2024
If the majority of Sri Lankans are suspicious of India how can the Asian Bank fund it
Dear Minister ,
Some wag had told ‘ignorance is bliss’ and you have them in plenty.
Extremism has always hindered development an example are the middle eastern states which are in a constant state of war.There is no such thing as buddhist extremist cuz Buddhism teaches us tolerance and to respect every being be it animal, or human being this includes ll micor organisms too in a broader sense.So there is no buddhist extremism. This was creted by opportunists Politicians tying to ride the nationalist popularity wave. haha