19 December 2024 11:21 am Views - 53
By Kelum Bandara
India – Sri Lanka land connectivity project has been dropped from the joint statement issued after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s bilateral discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra in New Delhi last Monday, triggering doubts whether the project is put on hold or abandoned.
During the previous rule, then President Ranil Wickremesinghe and PM Modi held bilateral talks and the two sides agreed to conduct a feasibility study to establish land connectivity between the two countries for developing access to the ports of Trincomalee and Colombo, according to the joint statement. However, no such mention is made in the latest joint statement which has otherwise outlined a number of other connectivity projects. Both sides have agreed to continue discussions on connectivity of two power grids and the establishment of a multiproduct petroleum pipeline.
Earlier, Mr. Wickremesinghe even said that the feasibility study on a proposal to establish land connectivity with India is in its final stages.
It was seen as a revival of Ram Setu, a 48-kilometer limestone shoal trail that links Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka. The Ram Setu Bridge – also known as Adam’s Bridge – has been a source of political, religious, and ecological controversy
for decades.
Having great significance in Hindu culture, Ram Setu is claimed to have been entirely above sea level until 1480 BCE, according to temple records, before natural disasters buried it under shallow waters. The two leaders also agreed to move ahead with negotiations on the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA).