The Road Development Project in the Anuradhapura District, which comes under the National Programme for the Development of 100,000 kilometres of Rural Roads, was launched on Thursday under the patronage of Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure State Minister Nimal Lanza on Thursday, the Ministry’s Media Unit stated in a press release.
The project was launched under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ‘Vistas of Prosperity Splendour’ Programme. At the request of the Minister of Lands, S.M. Chandrasena, the development work of the Anuradhapura Rajanganaya ‘Yaya 18’ Road commenced with its carpeting; a sum of Rs.100 million has been set aside for the carpeting of this 4.1-kilometre road.
State Ministerl Lanza said spoke about the COVID-19 pandemic at the event. “No powerful or rich country in the world has been able to control the spread of the coronavirus. Sri Lanka, which is a relatively small country, is at the forefront of ‘corona control’. That is why the World Health Organisation has expressed its gratitude to our country,” he said.
“The global economy has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this, Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange has decreased. Revenue from tourism in particular, as well as remittances sent to Sri Lanka by our country’s ‘heroes’ abroad, has decreased. In the face of this situation, Sri Lanka is moving towards an export economy by uplifting local products to keep the country's economy at a stable level,” he added.
One of the objectives of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to complete all road development activities within the next four years. We hope to complete the construction of 30,000km next year to meet the target, the state minister said. He added that the objective of the government is to strengthen the economic process and provide a better road network for people to travel comfortably.
Former Chief Minister of the North-Central Province, S.M. Ranjith Samarakoon, as well as officials of the Road Development Authority were also present at the event.
