News
100, 000 km of rural roads to be built in four years – Johnston
The government had begun the construction 12,000 km of roads last year, Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando said yesterday, adding that the overall objective of the government was to build 100,000 km of rural roads within the next four years.
“The previous government also launched an initiative to construct roads under the I – Road Project. However, in most cases contractors have taken over two years to build roads that are not longer than three kilometres. This is a waste of everyone’s time and we have asked these contractors to finish the work within two months. If they are not able to finish within the stipulated time the RDA will take over.”
Fernando also said that road construction had expedited under the current administration and that there might be a shortage of asphalt. Steps had been taken to provide asphalt to contractors from he RDA stocks, the Minister said.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok participated in the 59th Red Cross Charity Bazaar, one of Thailand’s major annual fundraising events organised by the Thai Red Cross Society, held from February 26 to March 1 at Siam Paragon in Bangkok.
The event was presided over by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and attended by members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, private sector representatives and the public. The charity bazaar serves as a key platform to raise funds for the humanitarian and charitable activities of the Thai Red Cross Society.
Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to Thailand, attended the opening ceremony.
The programme brought together products and crafts from more than 50 countries, showcasing international cuisine, fashion items, beauty products and handicrafts, with proceeds directed towards humanitarian initiatives across Thailand.
At the Sri Lankan stall, the Embassy displayed a range of Ceylon tea, Sri Lankan spices and traditional handicrafts, which drew considerable interest from visitors. Tourism promotional material highlighting Sri Lanka’s attractions, cultural heritage and travel experiences was also distributed.
The participation of Sri Lanka at the event highlighted the country’s cultural heritage and culinary traditions while reaffirming its support for charitable initiatives in Thailand. It also underscored the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Sri Lanka and Thailand, the Embassy said.
A section of trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) withdrew from all services at 3 pm yesterday, for a 24-hour period.
The General Secretary of the CEB’s Sri Lanka Nidahas Sewaka Samgamaya, Prabath Priyantha, said that they had resorted to a strike to pressure the government to comply with the collective agreement and address their other grievances.
Former Monitoring Member of Parliament for the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin Vass Gunawardena was arrested yesterday by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over allegations of earning illegal assets worth Rs. 243.8 million.
The ex-parliamentarian was arrested when he arrived at the CIABOC (09) to give a statement regarding alleged accumulation of assets through allegedly illegal means.
He was remanded until 24 March by the Colombo Chief Magistrate, Asanga S Bodaragama.
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