India To Assist In Major Road Development Project In Sri Lanka

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe says the government has planned to build a major road network from Jaffna to Mannar, Mannar to Colombo via Kurunegala and Mannar to Trincomalee via Vavuniya. The Premier points out it would immensely benefit the development in Northern and Eastern Provinces.

He made this disclosure at the discussion held with Indian Minister of Shipping and Transport Nitin Gadkari. In response Indian minister Gadkari pointed out roads built using concrete can be used for 50 years without maintenance. He added that the Indian technology used to build roads is not expensive in comparison to the technologies used in other parts of the country. Therefore the Indian Minister of Shipping and Transport said his country is ready to support Sri Lanka in this regard. The premier also requested the Indian government to assist development projects such as the port expansion project.

Meanwhile Indian Minister Darmendra Pradhan has said it is pleasing to see the issues faced by the foreign businessmen and states over the last couple of years when investing in Sri Lanka, being addressed. He made this remark at the discussion held with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe in New Delhi. India is ready to share its experience in the power generation sector with Sri Lanka. Attention was also on introducing pipe borne gas system instead of cylinders which is popular in many countries. It would also help both the customer and the manufacturer to save more money.

The Prime Minister also called on Indian President Pranab Mukherji at Rastaprathi Bhavan in New Delhi. The premier informed President Maithripala Sirisena's invitation to his Indian counterpart asking him to visit Sri Lanka on the occasion. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe also commended the measures taken by the Indian government to maintain peace in the region. In response the Indian President said his country is always ready to assist Sri Lanka when required.