India and Sri Lanka have prepared the draft of an agreement to resume ferry services across the narrow strip of water separating the two countries, the Indian envoy in C
olombo said. "We've finalised the draft of the agreement," Indian high commissioner Ashok Kantha said."The two countries have in principle agreed on starting the ferry services."
The proposal is to revive a ferry service disrupted by the island's ethnic war and start new services.
The ethnic war, which ended in May 2009, disrupted the ferry service between Talaimannar, on Sri Lanka's north-west, and Rameshwaram, in south India.
India is giving a loan to Sri Lanka to rebuild a rail track to Talaimannar with the contract being awarded to IRCON, an Indian government-owned firm.
The two countries also plan to start ferry services between Colombo port and the southern Indian ports of Cochin and Tuticorin, Kantha said.
