The Light Rail Transit Project had been scrapped because there had been irregularities including commissions running to billions of rupees for some leaders of the yahapalana regime, Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said yesterday.

Responding to questions by journalists at his ministry, the minister said that some Opposition parties attributed the termination of the project to a misunderstanding with Japan who funded the LRT.

“There was no such issue between us and Japan and bilateral relations between our two nations continue. We terminated the project owing to its financial irregularities. The LRT project was first planned during the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was revealed that there had been plans to get billions of rupees as commissions from that project. That was why we scrapped the project. We are working on a four-lane elevated highway, which is 17.3 km in length, stretching from New Kelani Bridge in Orugodawatta to Athurugiriya so that people would be benefited to reach from Peliyagoda to Athurugiriya without facing traffic congestion.

“Now, the JVP and other parties claim the termination would have a negative impact on the Japan-Sri Lanka relationship. It was the very same JVP that protected the yahapalana regime while the latter was earning huge commissions from such projects. The JVP-yahapalana nexus was very clear to people that was why people rejected the JVP too at the last election. People are disgusted with the conduct of the JVP for protecting a bunch of thieves. Therefore its vote base decreased to 3 percent.”