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Gampaha highway construction suspended or not?

14 Jun 2021

  • Prasanna Ranatunga says suspended

  • Road Development Authority says ongoing

  • Construction blamed for Gampaha flooding

By Dinitha Rathnayake   Despite a statement by Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga that the construction of the Kadawatha-Mirigama section of the Central Expressway, which has been blamed for the recent flooding in Gampaha, had been suspended, the construction of this section is ongoing, according to the Road Development Authority (RDA). In a media statement, Minister Ranatunga said yesterday (13) that the construction work on the Central Expressway in the Gampaha District has been suspended until a final decision is reached after reviewing the construction plan. Ranatunga was elected to Parliament from the Gampaha District. He said that the Government is ready to revise the relevant plan if necessary, taking into account the views of the public as well as the highways and irrigation engineers, and that the plan would be reviewed and a final decision made in the next two weeks. However, RDA Director General L.V.S. Weerakoon, speaking to The Morning yesterday, said that the construction work is ongoing. “Construction work was stopped a week ago due to heavy rain and floods. However, the contractor has resumed work at the moment.” When asked if the flooding was not a concern, he said that the flood was not caused by the highway construction. “Any highway or expressway would be flooded due to this heavy rainflow of approximately 200 mm in two hours. Officials of the Irrigation Department, Meteorology Department, and Road Development Authority would together solve any issues that come up.” Several areas in the Gampaha District have been inundated due to the recent heavy rains, and one of the reasons for the floods is alleged to be the construction of the Central Expressway. During the discussion held at the Ministry of Highways on Wednesday (9), it was decided to review the construction of the Central Expressway in the Gampaha District. Meanwhile, Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando on 8 June instructed the officials in charge of the expansion of the Central Expressway to review the construction work and submit an ecological assessment report immediately due to allegations from various quarters that the construction of the Central Expressway was the cause of the unprecedented floods in the Gampaha area. The Secretary to the Ministry was entrusted with the task of reviewing the plan for the Central Expressway and preparing an ecological evaluation report. Fernando gave these instructions while participating in a discussion held at the Ministry. The Ministers and MPs who participated in the meeting pointed out that the improper construction of roads and service lines during the construction of the Central Expressway and the improper construction of the drainage system related to it have caused floods in Gampaha and other areas. It was emphasised that it is essential to carry out a proper study on the design of the Central Expressway taking into consideration all the factors that caused the floods in the Gampaha District, and also that the programme to clean and repair the existing drainage systems throughout the Gampaha District is resumed. Fernando also emphasised that there is no point in constructing expressways or other development activities in a manner that negatively affects the people.


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