Sri Lankan government to commence construction of tunnel to ease traffic congestion in Kandy
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Public Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development Lakshman Kiriella has reportedly said that construction of the Deiyannewela to Tennekumbura tunnel aimed at alleviating the congestion in Kandy is set to begin next year.
Noting that the construction was suspended due to the objections from certain people in the Government, the Minister, speaking at the launching ceremony of the Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service in the Central Province has stated that Cabinet approval has been granted for the project.
“Residents of Kandy continue to question about the Kandy tunnel. We have received Cabinet approval to build a tunnel from Deiyannewela to Tennekumbura in order to alleviate the traffic congestion in Kandy. The South Korean Government has stepped forward to support the project. The Korean Ambassador brought this matter to my attention on a number of occasions, enquiring as to why it has not been implemented so far,” the Minister has been quoted as saying.
“I met the Foreign Minister of South Korea when he was in the island for a visit. They are ready to grant the funds. Every city in the world has subterranean cities. Those cities will never collapse. We intend to take measures to start this project by the first quarter of next year. We have the necessary funds and the support from the Ambassador. And we have Korean Engineers to support the project in addition to the Cabinet approval. This is a fact.”
According to the Minister, the government has the funds and plans for the project.
OSL take:
The construction of a tunnel to ease the traffic congestion in Kandy is yet another development programme in the Sri Lankan government’s road and highway development programme. As stated by the Sri Lankan Minister, funds are available for the construction of the tunnel. Similarly, most of the Sri Lankan government’s road and highways development programmes have already received commitments from foreign funding sources. Therefore, foreign construction companies could explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s roads and highways sectors. Interested companies could also look at the development of supplementary infrastructure facilities along with the roads and highways projects.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20190305/Z_1 |