A Sri Lankan minister has said an Indian article regarding a US$5 billion road-and-rail link connecting India to the North-East was “misleading” after claiming “off the record” remarks were used to claim the agreement to construct it was in the “closing stages”.
In an article that appeared on Mint, Sri Lanka's Environment Secretary B. K. Prabath Chandrakeerth was quoted as stating “last month I participated in one meeting with India in New Delhi, and we are going to establish the highway and railway line connectivity between Rameswaram in India and Trincomalee in Sri Lanka”.
“This is being planned as businessmen in both countries have to pay more and with the road and rail connectivity, both parties can get help because it will help in trade with European and other countries. Indian businessmen can also get some benefits from Sri Lanka as well.”
“This link will facilitate smoother trade not only between the two nations but also with European and other international markets” Chandrakeerthi was quoted as saying in the Mint. “The cost of the project is still not finalized. We have to have more discussion about that, but I think it is estimated to be nearly $5 billion… It will entirely be borne by the Indian government.”
However, shortly after publication, Chandrakeerthi told Factcrescendo “that the conversation with the Mint journalist Puja Das was casual, and he was not told it was on record”.
“In response to our queries, the media secretary for the Sri Lankan Transport Ministry has also denied any knowledge of the said project's discussions,” Factcrescendo added.
“Puja Das, the journalist from Mint, confirmed that the conversation occurred at a dinner reception at the French Embassy in Colombo. She states that Chandrakeerthi was her direct source of information and that she possessed both a recording and a transcript of the conversation.”
New Delhi has long sought to increase connectivity with the island, with ferry and air services resuming in recent years. The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santhosh Jha previously detailed how his government was “taking the first steps” to construct a land corridor between the two regions, calling it a “game-changing initiative”.
“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 the 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.
The Times of India also said earlier this year that the Indian government is likely to carry a feasibility study for the construction of a 23-kilometer bridge connecting Tamil Nadu’s Dhanushkodi to Tamil Eelam’s Talaimannar.
This initiative stems from an agreement between India and Sri Lanka to explore the feasibility of establishing land access to the ports of Trincomalee and Colombo, and is part of a long standing push from Delhi to promote greater linkages with the Tamil North-East.
