The Sri Lankan President’s Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor on National Security Sagala Ratnayake is scheduled to make a two-day visit to India, for discussions on constructing an over-the-sea bridge connecting Tamil Nadu to the island by land.
The visit to India will take place on 27 and 28 March concerning the topic of the construction of n a 23-km long route, which will connect the two Tamil regions – Tamil Nadu and Tamil Eelam – by land.
This route is envisioned to be constructed over the Palk Strait from Talaimannar to Rameswaram and is expected to have a railway line in addition to vehicular traffic. It is reported that along with the construction of the bridge, this project also includes the construction of a highway system that will facilitate direct travel from Talaimannar to Trincomalee in the East and Colombo in the South. The first road, however, will be constructed from Talaimannar to the Port of Trincomalee.
Ratnayake is scheduled to meet high-ranking heads of State in India during this visit as an extension of the talks held by Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe with Indian Prime Minister Modi on this project last year. A senior government spokesperson said that the purpose of this road system is to create economic growth and prosperity in both countries.
Last week, India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka detailed how his government was “taking the first steps” to construct a land corridor between the two regions, calling it a “game-changing initiative”.
Speaking at the annual dinner of the Sri Lanka-India Society Santhosh Jha spoke of connectivity between the two regions, in the wake of several recent initiatives by New Delhi.
“Connectivity undoubtedly is the central pillar of our emerging partnership,” said Jha. “When I speak of connectivity, I mean all its dimensions – air, maritime, trade, digital, energy or people-to-people connectivity. Daily flights between Jaffna and Chennai and launch of ferry services between India and Northern Sri Lanka are some of the latest steps in this direction.”
“We will continue to add to the existing multiple nodes of air and maritime connectivity,” he continued. “However, the most ambitious recent venture and also the most impactful in terms of potential, has to be the India-Sri Lanka Land Connectivity Corridor. We are now taking the first steps to translate this game-changing initiative into real action on the ground. Once built, this connectivity corridor will transform our relations, epitomise our unbreakable partnership, and possibly uplift vast populations that it will connect, into a new era of growth and prosperity.”
Earlier this year, the Indian government was reported to be eyeing up a feasibility study for the construction of a 23-kilometre bridge, which is part of a long-standing push from Delhi to promote greater linkages with the Tamil North-East.
"The long sea bridge would require huge funds, but it will prove to be a boon for bilateral trade," a source told the Times of India. "But for that, the government has to evaluate technical, economic, and environmental aspects to see whether it's viable."
The proposal for a sea bridge between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar has been a subject of discussion for over two decades.
Several Sri Lankan governments, however, have remained staunchly opposed to such a move, with Sinhala nationalists claiming with such a bridge “sovereignty will be destroyed”.
