News
Kiriella asks for his share of credit for Central Highway project
By Saman Indrajith
Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella on Tuesday (18) said that the government should be ashamed of taking the credit for the construction of the 41-km long second phase of the Central Expressway by building only a four-kilometre stretch of it.
Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo, MP Kiriella said that the yahapalana government had completed 37 out of 41 km stretch of the Central Expressway from Mirigama to Kurunegala. “It is shameful that the government was showing off it as their work. They did not even mention that we almost completed the construction except for four kilometres,” he said.
Kiriella said that when the yahapalana government came to power in 2015 not even an inch of land had been surveyed to construct the stretch from Kadawatha to Galagedara. “After we came to power we planned the expressway from Kadawatha to Galagedara in three phases. We had 20,000 plots of lands surveyed, acquired them and also paid compensation to their owners. Thereafter when the construction began. It was I who spoke for the need to give the contract to local contractors. In that manner, for the first time in expressway constructing history, we gave the contract for the section from Mirigama to Kurunegala to a local contractor. We could have completed the work if not for the constitutional coup that lasted 52 days in 2018.
“We had finished 37 km of the 41 km long expressway. The present government took two and a half years to complete the remaining four kilometres. It is shameful that they did not even thank the yahaplana government for constructing 37 kilometres. The government has nothing to show today. Last Sunday, it opened several projects in Kandy that had been completed by our government. It was on my request that a recreation park was constructed by the former minister Champika Ranawaka near the Dalada Mailgawa. Last Sunday, the government ministers declared it open as if they had done it.
“In 2014, the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa laid foundation stones at several places to construct the Central Expressway but did nothing more than that. Not even an inch of land had been surveyed. It was the yahapalana government that had to pay compensations for that,” said the former Highways Minister Kiriella.
Prime Munister Dr Harini Amarasuriya returned to the island this (23rd) morning after attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
The Sri Lanka Navy successfully conducted a diving operation on 19 Jan 26 to inspect and restore the sluice gate of the Bomburuella Reservoir.
Acting on a request from the Department of Irrigation, the Sri Lanka Navy deployed a specialized diving team from the Western Naval Command, for the urgent requirement.
Through concerted effort, the Navy divers successfully cleared accumulated debris, including a significant quantity of wooden fragments, which had impeded the sluice gate mechanism.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya held a series of high-level bilateral meetings on Wednesday [January 21] on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, engaging with representatives of the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, and the global private sector.
The Prime Minister met with Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. During the meeting, she expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for the support extended by the European Union and its member states following Cyclone Ditwa. The Prime Minister also briefed the Commissioner on the key findings of the World Bank’s GRADE report and requested continued EU support for Sri Lanka’s development and recovery efforts.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Alexander De Croo, representing the United Nations Development Programme. She expressed appreciation for the longstanding partnership between Sri Lanka and the United Nations and acknowledged the UN’s support in flood relief and livelihood assistance. The Prime Minister noted that, following the mandate received at the parliamentary election, the government is focused on meeting public expectations through national rebuilding grounded in public trust and good governance. She further reaffirmed the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening social protection systems and safeguarding vulnerable communities.
In addition, the Prime Minister met with Robert M. Uggla, Chairman of A.P. Moller Holding. The discussion focused on engagement with the private sector and potential areas of collaboration.
These meetings reflected Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with international partners and global stakeholders to support recovery, development, and long-term economic stability.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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