Gadkari, Lankan PM Discuss 5.19 Billion Dollar India-Lanka Road Project
Posted on September 15th, 2015
Courtesy The Indian Express
NEW DELHI: An ambitious USD 5.19 billion road project to connect India and Sri Lanka with a sea-bridge and an underwater tunnel is believed to have been discussed today by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari during his talks with visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, called on Wickremesinghe here today and discussed construction of a sea bridge and an underwater tunnel linking 22-km stretch between Talaimannar in the island nation and Dhanushkodi in India, official sources said.
To improve connectivity with the neighbouring nations, India has signed motor vehicle pacts with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal and is also proposing to improve connectivity with Sri Lanka.
“Multi-lateral funding agency ADB, which has already agreed to finance infrastructure projects worth about USD 8 billion for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) region, has also shown keen interest in financing USD 5.19 billion India-Sri Lanka proposed project,” a source said.
Sources said it was also proposed during the meeting that a Secretary-level meeting along with the representatives of ADB can be held in Sri Lanka to discuss the project.
India also wants Sri Lanka to join the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement, signed in June this year in Bhutan during Gadkari’s visit there, which aims to facilitate cross-border movement of all types of vehicles in the BBIN region.
Work on the USD 8 billion road connectivity projects among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) is likely to be completed within two years.
India would also enter into another landmark motor pact with Myanmar and Thailand by year-end.
Gadkari had earlier said ADB is ready to finance the project “for providing connectivity to Sri Lanka”.
He had said there was a missing link of narrow corridor of about 22 km in connectivity to Sri Lanka from Rameshwaram which is presently being serviced through makeshift ferry service arrangements.
“We are working on the project and as soon as it is completed, Trans Asia Road and transport network could be extended to Sri Lanka,” Gadkari had said.
September 15th, 2015 at 5:32 pm
Stupid move. This will end up SL being a colony of India. Sinhalese will be minority in few years. Some body wake up and rise against all these nonsense.
September 15th, 2015 at 7:09 pm
They will put the bill on SL to pay!!
The last time they built a bridge was to DESTROY SL and steal women who were happily living in SL.
No difference this time.
IF this bridge is built, it must be destroyed.
September 15th, 2015 at 7:29 pm
The three traitors My3, Ranil and modi Chandrika has sold Sri Lanka to our worst enemy. They were paid handsomely to remove Mahinda from the presidency and this is the way they pay India back. Sri Lanka is a paradise for the Kallathonies and they will just walk across the bridge to paradise leaving the big cess pit call India forever.
September 15th, 2015 at 11:27 pm
What they want is a straight road to Trincomalee Harbour among other things to consolidate their hold in Sri Lanka. Once the bridge is built there will be a major highway under the control of the Indians from Trincomalee to Mannar. The rest will be history!
Sri Lanka will be inundated with Kallathonis from South India.
Pestilence to those who promote this unholy, unpatriotic and Anti Sri Lanka venture.
If Sri Lanka were a boat the endeavour of all patriots of Sri Lanka will be to paddle it as far as possible away from India and into the Ravana Samudra!
September 16th, 2015 at 1:26 am
This was undoubtedly one of the main reasons for RAW to support the bandit woman in toppling MR from power, because they know too well that they wont be able to connect tamilnadu with Sri Lanka.
Thousand and one problems that is plaguing taminadu will end up on our soil. This is the way India is going to treat us as one of their states.
Don Juan and Dona Catherina of our our times are ready to put the final nail on the Sinhalese Buddhist coffin.
Should we wait any more..??
September 16th, 2015 at 9:14 am
I agree with all the comments. This will be a very bad move for Sri Lanka. There are 72 million Dalits desperately trying to get out of the institutionalized slavery system called caste system in India. Of the 72 million Tamil Dalits comprise 15 million. They now come by boat and by swimming. When the road is built they will come in air conditioned cars and buses from Tamil Nadu. Our leaders are really foolish. During the 30 year war with LTTE there was no control of the coast and it is estimated that about 1 million Tamil Dalits came across. Even Prabahakaran is supposed to have said that 35% of his army was from South India.