New vistas in road development - Highways Minister
Highways and Road Development Minister T.B.
Ekanayake says the President and his Government will go down in history
as the only Government which has implemented the highest number of road
development projects after the country gained independence. The Minister
in an interview with Sunday Observer expressed his views on the
developments taking place within the road and political sectors.
by Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Highways and Road Development Minister T.B. Ekanayake
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Q: What are the major roadworks undertaken by the UPFA
Government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the last four years?
A: I think people know all about it. They know how they went
on roads before 1994. After President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed office,
a massive road sector development has been taking place in the country.
Earlier people got stranded due to lack of roads and inability to travel
in roads. After we gained independence, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and
his Government will enter history as the only Leader and the Government
which implemented the highest number of road development projects.
Q: What are your plans to develop the North-East road network
? What is the progress achieved by "Maga Neguma" project ?
A: Only 11,890 Km A and D category roads are come under the
purview of the Highways Ministry. It was the President which took
immediate measures to develop the country's road network without
considering the category of roads. The people are not interested to know
whether that particular road belongs to Central Government, Provincial
Council or any other State institution. The people only want that road
to be in a good condition to go.
During the UNP regime, Road Construction and Development Corporation
was closed within 24 hours by depriving employment of a large number of
employees. The President commenced the "Maga Neguma" project taking in
employees and machinery belongs to the RCDC. Three institutions were
commenced affiliated to Maga Neguma project. Except for foreign funded
projects, the 2009 budgetary estimates had reserved Rs. 77,128 million
to the Highways and Road Development Ministry.
The Government in collaboration with the Chinese Government has
already commenced the development of the A-9 road. In addition, the
construction work on A-32 road has also been started while the
construction work on Silawathura-Murungan road has been completed by 90
percent.
The construction work on Puttalam, Mannar and Thalaimannar road has
been commenced. The Road Development Authority has completed the
construction work of a large number of access roads which led to the
villages where the people have been resettled in the Eastern Province.
The Maga Neguma project has spent Rs. 1,800 million to renovate the
rural road network in Jaffna peninsula while the second stage of the
project has allocated Rs. 2,900 million for this purpose. The Government
has already constructed over 60 bridges in the North and the East
provinces. The Kinniya bridge was vested in the public by the President
recently as the country's longest bridge. The Government has also
constructed bridges in eight places in the North and the East where
ferries were used earlier to transport people. Before the Kinniya bridge
was opened, the RDA had to spent Rs. 26 million annually on the ferry
used for Kinniya bridge.
Q: How is the Central Government cooperating with Provincial
Councils with regard to roads belonging to Provincial Councils?
A: The Central Government grants some money to maintain the
61,000 Km road network belongs to the Provincial Councils. In addition,
the Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry provide funds to
Provincial Councils to implement special road sector development
projects. The Central Government has given its assistance to the Road
Department which comes under the purview of the Local Government
Department to conduct the maintenance and other activities of roads.
Q: Has the Government planned to commence the construction
work on Colombo-Kandy expressway without delay?
A: Following a discussion held with the World Bank mission
currently in Sri Lanka, they pledged to fully fund to commence the
construction work on Colombo-Kandy expressway which had been temporarily
stopped. This is one of the significant achievements gained by the
Government. The construction of Colombo-Kandy expressway would
facilitate the people to travel without any traffic congestion.
Q: There are fears that the toll for the Southern expressway
will be too high for many people. Is this true?
A: Earlier there was no program to charge any toll from those
who use expressways. I submitted a Bill in Parliament and got it
approved to charge a certain amount of money from those who use
expressways. Initially, we have decided to charge Rs. 200 from those who
use Southern expressway, Colombo-Katunayake expressway and
Kaduwela-Wattala-Outer Circular expressway.
I think this is very reasonable amount and it would not be a burden
to the people. Normally an expressway is used by a person who wants to
go quickly. Others can use the normal track of the road.
Q: We can see more roads being concreted instead of using tar.
Will the use of concrete be expanded in road construction?
A: This is a concept of the President. In the face of
increasing world crude oil prices, the prices of tar may also go up. In
comparison with tar prices, the cement prices will not go up rapidly.
Even in US and UK, thousands of concreted roads can be seen. The cost
used to maintain concreted roads in rural areas is very low rather than
tarred roads. Therefore the Government has given priority to concrete
roads.
Q: What are the foreign countries and leading agencies
assisting road repair and construction?
A: A large number of foreign countries and donor agencies have
pledged their assistance towards this task. At present Japan, Korea,
China, France, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Iran have pledged to grant
money to Government's road development projects. We will get more
foreign assistance and investment to implement our road network next
year. This would help us to increase the road network development
carried out this year by three fold next year.
Q: Are there any plans to reduced the number of accidents
through driver education, Police action etc. ?
A: Mainly this responsibility has been entrusted upon the
Police Department and the Department of Motor Traffic. In order to
reduce the accidents, the Ministry has commenced installing traffic
lights in various key places and put up new flyovers. We also inform the
Police to educate the public to use the pedestrian zebra crossings and
pavements.
Q: The Opposition alleges that there is corruption in the road
development sector. Is there any truth in these allegations?
A: The Opposition should have something to tell. There was not
an era in Sri Lanka where the roads were constructed in this manner. The
UNP has also governed this country for so many years. I would like to
ask them what they have done in the North and the East or any other part
of the country to develop roads. The Transport Minister of former UNP
Government had visited Transport Ministry only four times during his two
years in office. The UNP should contribute to the country's development
work without making baseless allegations against the Government.
Q: Is the Government confident of winning any election
handsomely, be it presidential or general?
A: Even though we said we are going to hold the Presidential
Election first, the UNP Executive Committee has failed to find a
candidate to put forward. The SLFP was also in the Opposition 17 years.
But we always put forward our Party Leader as our Presidential
candidate. We always had a firm confidence in our Party Leader.
But the UNP has decided that their Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe
is not suitable as their Presidential candidate. The JVP is also in the
view that any of their members are not suitable as their Presidential
candidate. Both the UNP and the JVP have accepted their defeat and
understood they are not in a position to compete with President Mahinda
Rajapaksa. This clearly indicates the position of the Opposition. But
the Government is ready for any election at any time.
Q: Will any candidate, common or otherwise be able to pose a
challenge to President Rajapaksa?
A: We could see how the UNP's vote base was reduced largely in
all the recently concluded elections. The JVP also faced a severe
setback in all these recently concluded elections.
The people have given a fine answer to both the UNP and the JVP.
People are well aware what they are doing using their Parliamentary
privileges. The people in villages are very practical. They cannot be
cheated. The people have very good understanding of what this Government
has done on behalf of them.
Q: Will there be more crossovers from the Opposition to the
Government before polls?
A: A large number of Opposition members are willing to join
the Government.
But we have stopped them as the Government has no seats in the
Government side to accommodate them. Even today some Government MPs have
to sit in the Opposition side due to lack of seats in the Government
benches.
Therefore the Government will have to make some new benches in the
Government side in future. Because the Opposition members think how many
more years they have to be in the Opposition as the UNP is defeated in
all elections.
A large number of Opposition members have discussed with the
Government to crossover to the Government due to incapable leadership of
their party Leader.
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