Mega project to reconstruct 341 roads to be launched on Sunday

By Sandun A Jayasekera

The Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure State Ministry is to launch a project next Sunday (29) to reconstruct 341 roads in 341 Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas to mark the first anniversary of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in office, Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure State Minister Nimal Lanza said.   
 It was planned to implement the road development project island-wide in line with the national programme to develop 100,000 kilometres to make the ‘Vision of Prosperity and Splendour’ national policy, a reality, State Minister Lanza added.   

Addressing a progress review meeting of the State Ministry yesterday, Minister Lanza instructed officials to select identified roads for development by the relevant institutions, reconstruct them and make arrangements to hand them over to respective Local Government bodies within 2021.   

“The government gives priority to develop the rural road network in the country because road development has a direct positive impact on  rural development,”  the State Minister stressed .   

“Relevant road projects should be completed expeditiously to achieve the target of developing 100,000 km within the next four years. The necessary mechanism should be set up properly for that. The State Minsitry will also initiate a programme to construct car parks in the suburbs from next year to carry out road development as well as to reduce the existing traffic congestion,” he said.   

Secretary to the Ministry of Highways R.W. R Pemasiri, Secretary to the State Ministry of Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake, Director General of the Road Development Authority D.M. Dayaratne and Nimal Premathilake- Project Director of Project for the development of 100,000 km were present at the occasion.