Bridge link with India a visionary approach – Sri Lankan Transport Minister

26th July 2009, firstlanka.com

Transport minister Dalas Alahperuma addressing the second meeting of the SAARC ministers meeting of Transport yesterday (25) said the proposal for the railway link with India and a land bridge is viewed by our Government with a visionary approach as the project of the Century. The linkage through this to see fulfilled sooner than later, enabling us to become a more vibrant of a larger region.

“In Sri Lanka, His Excellency president Mhinda Rajapaksa has given us leadership in ensuring that we play our part in this regional endeavor. We have already held consultations amongst our different agencies and departments to identify the necessary measures requited to implement the two project suggested by the Inter-Governmental Group on Transport as recommended by the SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Study. We have also already constructed the required local infrastructure to commence the proposed ferry service from Colombo to Cochin and to Tuticorin.

The lack of regular direct flights between many SAARC countries is proof of existing gaps that we need to mend. Sadly even between Sri Lanka and India, the regular ferry service that used to operate from Talaimanner to Rameshwaram has not been able to operate for over 25 years.

Since the word economy depends largely on vibrant regional economies, of we choose to postpone these initiatives, we will continually fall behind even though individual countries may gain growth. Such a situation will result in greater intra-regional disparities that may have an adverse impact on regional social well-being. To avoid such debilitating phenomena, we need to promote our growth as a region.

Our people , a majority of the 1.5 billion of us who cannot afford luxuries such as air travel, therefore languish in isolation, lacking the means of connectivity that is essential for increasing intra-regional trade and other forms of interaction”.

Courtesy: Government Information Department