Rs. 15b needed to reconstruct damaged highways and bridges - Minister

  
The Ministry of Highways has estimated that it would need approximately Rs.15 billion to reconstruct all public highways and bridges damaged by tsunami disaster.
Highways Deputy Minister T. B. Ekanayake who toured the North and East with the officials of the Ministry and the Road Development Authority to collect information and study the damage caused to the public highways and the bridges in the country had focused their attention to reconstruct these roads and bridges, giving priority to the Amapara District which is one of the gateways to enter the North and East.
The tour both by air and land was organised on the directive of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse who is also the Minister of Highways.
At a meeting at the Ampara District Secretariat Deputy Minister Ekanayake told the officials that instructions have been issued to get down the machinery, tools and other instruments along with engineers and officials from other district offices of the Road Development Authority and to commence reconstruction work in the Ampara district.
The Deputy Minister said that in place of the damaged bridges in the North and East nine prefabricated bridges have been sent and the estimated cost of the reconstruction of the bridges and roads in the North and East was about Rs. 45 million. He also said that Rs. 15 million has been issued to reconstruct roads and bridges in the North.
Work on Arugambay, Koamari, Moththuwaram, Kallady in the East and in Kallar bridge and other bridges in the Batticaloa district has already begun and expressed hopes that within a week they will be able to complete the work in the East, Colombo, Ratnapura, Wellawaya, Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts.

 He said that the Prime Minister has conveyed his sincere thanks to the engineers and other officials from 'Maga Neguma' Machinery and Equipments Private Company, Access Company and members from various voluntary organisations, contract groups for voluntarily coming forward to carry out the reconstruction work of bridges and roads within 72 hours.

 
 
 
  The Deputy Minister also pointed out that the Ministry has taken steps to provide special boat service to the people traveling to and from Arugambay and Kallar as the bridges are destroyed and impassable.

There will be temporary bridges until the permanent bridges are constructed. A special report prepared in this respect was due to be handed over to the President who was scheduled to meet delegates from the Asian Development Bank, JAICA and the World Bank, he added.