To improve road connectivity between India and Sri Lanka, Nitin Gadkari and Sri Lanka PM, discuss the India-Lanka road project of $ 5.19 billion
Nitin Gadkari
With an aim to improve the road connectivity with neighbouring nations Indian Government has signed Motor Vehicle Pacts (MVP) with Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal and now it is proposing with Sri Lanka with an aim to improve the road connectivity with Sri Lanka.
This is one of the most ambitious road project to connect Sri Lanka and India with the help of a sea-bridge and an underwater tunnel, which was believed to have been discussed the by Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping during a meeting with Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lankan Prime Minister. According to official sources, Nitin Gadkari, called on Wickremesinghe and discussed about the construction of a sea bridge as well as an underwater tunnel linking of 22 km between Dhanushkodi in India and Talaimannar in the Island Nation.
After improving the road connectivity with neighboring nations such as; Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan under the Motor Vehicle Pacts (MVP) now India is proposing the same with Sri Lanka. According to reliable sources, It was also proposed that during the Secretary-level meeting representatives of ADB will discuss the project in Sri Lanka. “The multi-level funding agency ADB has already agreed to provide the financial support for the infrastructure of the projects which is worth about $ 8 billion for BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) region, apart from that they have also shown interest in financing $ 5.19 billion India-Sri Lanka proposed project.
India also want Sri Lanka to join the Motor Vehicle Agreement of BBIN, which was signed in June 2015 in Bhutan during Gadkari’s visit as he was visited here with an aim to facilitate cross-border movement of all types of vehicles in the BBIN region. It is expected that work on the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) which is worth of $ 8 billion will complete in next two years. However; by the end of 2015 India will enter in another landmark motor pact with Myanmar and Thailand. According to Nitin Gadkari, ADB is ready to finance the project “which aims to improve the connectivity with Sri Lanka”. The more he added that it was the only missing link of narrow corridor which was about 22 km in connectivity to Sri Lanka from Rameshwaram that is presently being serviced through makeshift ferry service arrangements. According to Nitin Gadkari we are working on the project and soon it will be completed, however; Trans Asia Road and transport network could be extended to Sri Lanka.
