News

Minister Silva directs officials to expedite introduction of e-gate facilities at airport

Published

3 years ago

2023/01/16

Minister of Ports Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva has instructed officials to expedite the process of establishing electronic gate facilities at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). The Minister gave those instructions to the officials of the Airport and Aviation (Sri Lanka) (Private) Ltd at a special discussion held at the Ministry auditorium on Friday (13).

It was decided to install two such electronic gates at the Arrivals Terminal and two at the Departures Terminal, under Phase I of the project.

“Although the Project was initiated in 2017, it was not implemented due to various reasons, I noticed. Therefore, I instruct officials to expedite obtaining required approvals, according to relevant procurement processes, and reinstate the project immediately, with less expenditure and in a more advantageous manner to the country,” the Minister said. It was also revealed, at the discussions, that the financial provisions for the project would be allocated by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and that the process would take around one year.

The Minister emphasised the need for the implementation of the project with financial aid from the IOM.The need two machines for security scanning of metal and other material for the passenger ferry service between KKS and India, to be launched in the near future, was emphasised at the discussion, and the Minister directed the officials to procure the machines expeditiously.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, K. D. S. Ruwanchandra, the National Programme Officer of the IOM –Neshan Gunasekara, Chairman of the Airport and Aviation (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited – (Retired Major Gen.) G. A. Chandrasiri, Vice Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Gayan Algewattege, Actg. Additional Managing Director (Administration and Operations) of SLPA Prabath Jayantha, and higher officials of relevant institutions were also present at the discussion.

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SAARC journalists meet in New Delhi

Published

12 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

President of SJF Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi hands over a memento to Dr Alok Kumar Mishra Joint Secretary of the Association of Indian Universities

Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.

Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.

A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.

The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.

News

Governor of Gujarat met with Sri Lanka PM to discuss exposition of Devnimori Relics

Published

14 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.

These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.

The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.

The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

INS GHARIAL makes port call in Colombo

Published

21 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.

During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.

The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.