Japanese funded Colombo light rail transit project to resume

The Japanese funded Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, which was suspended by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration, is to resume.

Cabinet spokesperson Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe obtained Cabinet approval for the project to resume.

He said that a decision was also taken to ensure future projects are terminated only with Parliament approval.

The project was suspended following a letter issued by the then-Secretary to the President on the 21st of September 2020, citing that the project was not the appropriate cost effective transport solution.

A special audit report by the Auditor General of Sri Lanka revealed that the decision to suspend the project cost the country Rs. 5.978 Billion.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe had recently expressed regret to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida over the decision taken to suspend the Japanese funded Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.

During an official meeting in Tokyo between President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the President had emphasized the need for future legislation in the Parliament to ensure that bilateral large-scale projects cannot be halted or canceled without the agreement of both parties. (Colombo Gazette)