All set for Indo-Lanka ferry service

by Irangika RANGE

The Government has taken measures to commence the proposed ferry service linking Colombo-Cochin and Tuticorin, Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said. The Minister told the inauguration ceremony of the second SAARC Transport Ministers Conference at the Colombo Hilton yesterday, that the Government has already constructed the local infrastructure to commence this project.

The Minister said the proposal for the railway link between Talaimannar and Chennai and a land bridge would be considered as the projects of the century. “The linkage through this to the Trans Asian Highway and the Trans Asian Railway are two projects that we hope to complete soon,” the Minister said. The Minister said that the regular ferry service that used to operate from Talaimannar to Rameshwaram was not operational for the past 25 years due to terrorism.

Sri Lanka, under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has already held consultations among the different agencies and departments to identify the measures required to implement these projects advocated by the Inter-Governmental Group on Transport as recommended by the SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Study. The Minister said that leaders at the 15th SAARC Summit in Colombo in August last year, had reiterated the critical importance of an efficient multimodal transport system in the region.

There should be a clear realisation at political level regarding the necessity to strengthen intra-regional people-to-people connectivity in South Asia through infrastructure development and enhanced transport linkages, he said.

The lack of regular direct flights between many SAARC countries had created gaps within the region.

This is no doubt a difficult undertaking for travellers. With the recent developments that have taken place in Sri Lanka, we hope that our people would again enjoy the benefits of enhanced connectivity through a regular ferry service between our two countries,” the Minister said. Minister Alahapperuma was nominated as Chairperson of the second SAARC Transport Ministers Conference.