India on Wednesday agreed to cooperate with Sri lanka in developing world class road infrastructure in the Jaffna region of the island nation. The Indo-Sri lanka Cooperation in road construction came up for discussion when the Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari called on the visiting Prime Minister of Sri lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The Sri lankan Prime Minister invited the Government of India to take up development of three stretches of major road stretches namely Jaffna to Mannar, Mannar to Vavuniya and Dambulla to Tricomalee. Gadkari informed Wickremesinghe that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways during the last three years has showcased tremendous amount of acceleration of road construction in India and is capable of taking up the roads and completing before time.
Wickremesinghe suggested that these stretches are important for Sri lanka to develop the region of Jaffna. Gadkari assured Wickremesinghe that the Indian Government and his Ministry will fully cooperate with his Government’s efforts in developing world class infrastructure in Sri lanka.
Gadkari also suggested that taking up all these stretches for development may only be possible with the active support of Sri lankan agencies for land acquisition and local clearances. “Without acquisition and other clearances in place, it will be difficult to complete the project in time,” Gadkari conveyed, according to a Press release of the Road Transport Ministry.
The Indian delegation proposed that a suitable financial model for developing these roads may be put in place. On receiving the final formal proposal, Gadkari assured that India may look at appointing an international consultant to take up detailed study and preparation of feasibility report and DPR for suggested stretches. He reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment of India’s active support in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Sri lanka.