Sri Lanka to seek China’s assistance for expressway

Sri Lanka has sought China’s assistance to construct part of its Central Expressway from Kadawatha in suburban Colombo to Kossinna in Central Province, a cabinet official said.

Cabinet spokesperson Dr. Rajitha Senratana said that following a proposal made by Minister of Higher Education and Highways Lakshman Kiriella to examine the possibility of obtaining loan facilities from the Exim Bank of China was approved by the cabinet.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe has said that Sri Lanka will be turned into the economic center in South Asia and the inauguration of construction work on the Central Expressway will be the first step of the new government’s program to build a new country in 60 months.

The Sri Lankan government said on Thursday that it will resume all the suspended projects in the island nation by early next year as it looks to attract more foreign investments.

Senratana told a weekly media briefing that all the suspended projects would be given the go-ahead as agreements with the investors had already been signed.

“We cannot stop it halfways and the prime minister had never said he will stop it. The projects had to be reviewed which is in the process of being done,” he said. “Once everything is in place all the projects will continue as the government has already signed the agreements.”

The new Sri Lankan government led by President Maithripala Sirisena suspended some projects earlier this year. (Reuters)