The Light Rail Transit (LRT) proposed by the previous Government was a huge waste of money and the cost of building just one kilometer was Rs. 26,388 million, Company Estate Reforms, Tea and Rubber Estates Related Crops Cultivation and Factories Modernization and Tea and Rubber Export Promotion State Minister Kanaka Herath said.
He made these remarks while participating in the 2021 budget debate relating to the Ministry of Highways.
The Minister further stated that US $ 2,200 million has been estimated for the construction of the 15 km LRT system. A huge financial irregularity was revealed for this project and if the proposal was implemented in any way, a sum of Rs. 36.6 million per day would have to be paid in loans and installments. He also said that the Kandy Expressway project had not been implemented properly during the previous Government. That Government had failed to pay compensation for the lands acquired for the project.
“Compensation for the expressway project was formalized under the present Government. Funds have already been allocated for the construction of expressways as well as access roads,” said State Minister Herath.
He said that he was happy that the Kegalle District was given the post of Minister of Highways by the previous Government but that particular Minister failed to achieve the desired objectives. Accordingly, the construction of a road system length of just 36 km was completed in the Kegalle district under the ‘Ran Mawatha’ project, which was the key road development project of the previous Government, he said.
Commenting further on the LRT project, the State Minister said that it could be completed using local engineering technology at a much lower cost than the cost estimated by the last regime.
“A feasibility study report has shown that this project can be completed at a lower cost using local engineering technology without burdening the country’s economy,” he said.
He also said that the National Transport Policy should be introduced soon after fine-tuning it to suit the present day requirement of the country.
