'Expressways: Focus on benefits not income'

By Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

One of the key indicators of development is the well-connected road network. With the Colombo-Matara and Colombo-Katunayake expressways in place the country has seamless connectivity in roads, Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping Secretary, R. W. R. Pemasiri told a forum on ‘The Doers Perspective of the Talkers Hot Topic: Infrastructure Development,’ in Colombo recently.

It was organised by the Sri Lanka Engineering Professionals’ Association (SLEPA).

He said that a revenue of Rs 4,500 million has been obtained so far from these mega projects.

“It is not the income generated, but the overall benefit of expressways to society such as time saving, low vehicle operation cost, accident prevention and fuel cost saving should be taken into account. When considering these factors the benefits far exceed the income generated,” he said.

Sri Lanka has obtained loans mainly from China as it was the best source of funding for fast-tracked projects.

The government secured concessional credit at the rate of 2 percent annually or preferential buyer credit facility for road development projects, he said.

Pemasiri spoke on ‘The True Story of Road Development’ which contained detailed descriptions of the expressway projects.

While comprehensively covering the Southern Highway project giving technical and financial data, he said he was concerned and disappointed at the allegations made on the handling of these road projects and called on the public not to be misled by distortions made for political gain.

He also rebutted the recent analysis done by an industry professional which was made using improper data and without even contacting the RDA.

He explained why some of the initial estimated costs had increased and showed that none of the expressway costs are more than the norm.

He emphasised that correct procedures had been followed at every stage of the projects and called on the public to investigate the data presented by the RDA without falling for political propaganda.

A booklet containing data on all the projects was distributed among the audience.

The Sri Lanka Engineering Professionals Association is a representative body of engineering professionals that protects employment rights, industrial relations and the professional status of the exponents of this industry.