Colombo: India is providing Sri Lanka
assistance worth Rs 27 million in implementing a rail bus
project to connect the Tamil-dominated areas of Batiicaloa and
Trincomalee in the eastern part of the country.
The project that involves conversion of the existing
conventional road transport system to one that is rail run,
was formally inaugurated in Batticaloa today by Indian High
Commissioner to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad along with Sri Lankan
Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma.
The project aims to provide a quick and affordable
avenue of transport between the two cities by converting
conventional buses to enable them to run on rail tracks.
The government of India has provided 10 buses at a cost
of SLR 44 million to Sri Lanka Railways and has made available
an additional SLR 22 million to pay for the cost of conversion
of these buses into five railbus units.
The conversion work will be carried out at the Sri
Lankan Railways workshops in Ratmalana near Colombo.
The entire project, costing about SLR 66 million (Rs 27
million), is expected to be completed by end of this August.
"It is India's desire to contribute to the efforts of
the Government of Sri Lanka in building up infrastructure in
the province, so as to assure an early return to normalcy and
stability in the lives of the people," the Indian High
Commission said in a statement.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 19:19