Roads to prosperity at Rs 98.4m to Rs 33m per km

The construction cost per km of road in several areas in the Trincomalee, Batticalao and Polonnaruwa Districts is costing between a high of Rs. 94.8 million and a low of Rs.. 33 million per km, according to documents made available to Parliament.

Construction of the 89.6-km HabaranaTrincomalee Road has been the most ex- pensive, with the stretch from Kantale to Trincomalee being the highest.

The cost per km from Kantale to Gantalawa- Rs. 65. 1 million, from Gantalawa to Tampalakamam - Rs. 77.8 million, from Tampalakamam to Saradhapura - Rs 59.9 million and the stretch from Saradhapura to Trincomalee- Rs. 94.8 million.

Tenders for the construction of roads in these areas were awarded to Access Engi- neering Ltd, Tudawe Brothers (Pvt) Ltd, Consultant Engineering and Constructors and V.V. Karunaratna & Co (Pvt) Ltd.

I.C.C.-China Harbour joint venture construction of the Habarana-Kantale Road, put the cost per km at Rs. 55. 4 million.

A 98.8-km stretch of road on the Trincomalee-Batticaloa Road, undertaken by China Harbour Engineering Corporation cost Rs 56.25 million per km.

The expenditure on the 128.76-km Habarana-Polonnaruwa Road, which includes sections of the MaradankadawlaJayanthipura-Thirikkondiyamadu Road, cost over Rs 30 million per km.

Development of the MaradankadawalaJayanthipuara section, awarded to International Construction Consortium Ltd, Tudawe Brothers (Pvt) Ltd and C.M.I. Edward Contraction (Pvt) Ltd, cost Rs 31.7 million per km, while the JayanthipuraThirikkondiyamadu stretch awarded to MAGA Engineering (Pvt) Ltd and K.D.A. Weerasinghe (Pvt) Ltd, cost Rs 33.17 million per km.

The details were disclosed in Parliament by Deputy Minister of Highways Nirmala Kotalawala in response to questions raised by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayaka.