CE third stage: Bids being evaluated before approval of EIA report
The Highways Ministry is evaluating two bids for the third section of the Central Expressway ( CE) even before the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA) for the project is approved by the Central Env i ronmental Authority (CEA).
Two Japanese companies have made offers and these are under consideration while “ninety percent” of people whose lands are being taken over for the project have been issued with notices under Section 38 of the Land Acquisition Act. These are orders for taking possession of a land.
The EIA was carried out for the Road Development Authority (RDA) by the Sri Jayewardenepura Unive r s i t y ’ s Department of Forestry and Environmental Science. As required by law, the CEA has now opened it out for public comment. The closing date is December 16. The review process by CEA will take place only afterwards.
Environmental experts pointed out that it was especially important for the EIA to be approved as the CE third section traversed “extremely difficult terrain”.
There will be four interchanges, twelve main bridges, 17 viaducts across the floodplains of three major rivers, underpasses, overpasses, three tunnels and more than 100 culverts.
“The road trace is through difficult terrain,” a CEA source said. “There could be soil erosion or slope failure. There will be a lot of cutting, filling of low-lying areas and also tunnelling of mountains. Depending on the problem, we could call for mitigatory measures. If there aren’t any, we can ask the RDA to deviate from the trace. This would require it to do a fresh EIA.”
“Right now, we are still evaluating the proposal submitted by it,” the source added. The third section will run 32.5 kilometres from Potuhera to Galagedara in Kandy. It is a fourlane expressway with a speed limit of 100km/hr.
The project has been dogged by controversy from the start. The Highways Ministry -under instructions from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) -- eschewed transparent, competitive bidding for CE III from the outset. Instead, it opted for limited tenders from Japanese companies, saying this was a prerequisite to securing a concessional “tied loan” from the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd (BTMU).
Then, instead of opening the project out to all Japanese firms, the Ministry asked the Japanese embassy to nominate contractors. The embassy came back with just three: Taisei Corporation, Penta Ocean Construction Co Ltd and Wakachiku Construction Co Ltd. It said they were recommended by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Sri Lanka.
In the first round, only Taisei Corporation submitted a bid. Penta Ocean Construction specialises in marine works and land recla- mation, not road building. Wakachiku Construction has mostly been involved with bridge work in Sri Lanka. But Taisei’s bid was cancelled because it had neglected to submit the mandatory bid bond.
The Ministry then reopened the tender for a mere two weeks to allow fresh bids from nominated Japanese companies. Taisei Corporation reapplied while the Fujita Corporation submitted a proposal for the first time. Taisei’s price is Rs. 159 billion while Fujita has quoted a lower at Rs. 147 billion. The other two firms have dropped out.
The EIA -- a copy of which was reviewed by the Sunday Times -- states that the road traverses urban, peri-urban and rural areas, sparse forests, rock outcrops, paddy fields, coconut and other cultivations, home gardens, rivers, streams, and irrigation canals. It also crosses a number of streams and canals or runs close to them. They include Rambukkan Oya, Kuda Oya and Kospothu Oya. “Since certain sections of the proposed road run through steep mountain slopes the impact on land form and stability can be considered as significant,” it states. “Unless proper mitigatory measures are taken the project can increase the possibility of land- slides along the road cuts and possible land subsidence.”
It also warns that, as the project goes through a considerable extent of paddy fields and low lying areas, construction-related activities “are bound to cause significant hydrological impacts such as increasing the incidences of flooding, change in flow patterns and disruption to continuity of irrigation canals”. The EIA proposes a long list of mitigatory measures such as slope stability techniques, relief drains, cascades, grouting and reinforcements. Construction will take place in the dry period.