““LRT project not suspended mid-agreement, to commence after amendments” – Govt

The Light Rail Transit Project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has not been suspended mid- project, but will commence after certain changes are made to the initial agreement, Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama said.

Responding to a question raised during a media briefing yesterday (24), Wickrama said that special consultancy has been obtained from Japan with regard to the project.

“The agreement was signed for 130 million US Dollars. However, the project has been estimated at 2.2 Billion US Dollars.” he said.

Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama further said the preliminary preparations for the project, efficient route for the railway line, research by the Department of Geological Survey, and the environmental and business assessments have all been completed, following which a few issues had been identified resulting in delaying the project.

It has been revealed that a large expense will be incurred for the construction of a railway station in the Malabe area and it requires a concrete building to be constructed on marshy land.

It will be more viable to construct the building on normal land, which will enable the railway line to be extended up to Athurugirya, he explained.

Dr. Priyath Bandu Wickrama went on to say that the Government is considering options on whether the soft- loan from JICA could be used for any other projects and if a private investor could be merged in the project in order to increase the funding and extend funding for more projects.

He further refuted media reports claiming that a large compensation will have to be paid in the event of the project being cancelled, adding that the Government will not face such a situation.

(Newswire)

Source : News.LK (Official Govt News Portal)

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