BILLIONS WASTED ON MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: JVP

The government has over spent on major infrastructure development projects by almost Rs 200 billion, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) charged yesterday.

Giving a breakdown of government over-spending, JVP Member of Parliament Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that a total of US $ 209 million had been spent on the Mattala International Airport though the original cost was estimated at US 190 million. He charged that the Cabinet had been asked to approve a paper submitted by Minister of Civil Aviation Priyankara Jayaratne seeking a loan of a further US $ 80 million from China to complete the project.

He further charged that the total construction cost of the Matara-Beliatta Railway Line was estimated to be US $ 278 million. Mr. Dissanayake said that additionally the construction cost of the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway, which was nearing completion, currently stood at Rs 52.8 billion, which meant that the government had spent 2 billion to build one kilometer of road. He said that the case was the same when it came to the construction of the 26 km long Wariyapola-Chilaw Road which cost us Rs 2.6 billion which means Rs 90 million was spent to construct a kilometre of road. The 13km long Galle-Deniyaya Road, which had cost Rs 2 billion, which equated to Rs 140 million being spent to construct a kilometre of road. The cost incurred to construct the 3.4 km Matara-Akuressa Road had been Rs 639 million at a rate of Rs 190 million per kilometre. In addition he said a total of US $ 346 million has been spent for the construction of the first phase of the Kerawalapitiya Power Station though the estimated cost was US $ 225 million.