Construction of northern expressway to begin this year

Tuesday, 3 July 2012 02:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed the relevant officials to call tenders for the construction of Northern Expressway before the end of this year.

At the progress review meeting of Kandy District Development Committee held in the President’s House in Kandy, the President has informed that plans have already been drawn for the first phase of the Northern Expressway linking Kandy and Kurunegala.

The proposed highway which connects Kandy to Jaffna through Kurunegala and Trincomalee is 300 kilometers at length. The first phase of the road project will cost US$ 1 billion.

The President focused on the development work and future plans for the district including the problems faced in agricultural, health and economic sectors.

He asked the relevant authorities to take measures to solve the problem of garbage disposal in the city and instructed the local government institutions to take stern action against the persons who use state lands for private purposes and to acquire the state lands from them.

During the review meting attention was paid to develop several hospitals in the suburbs of Kandy as a solution to the shortage of space in Peradeniya and Kandy Hospitals. The President called on the health authorities to provide required facilities and doctors to those hospitals.

Discussing the developments in agriculture, the President instructed the authorities to identify crops with good market demand for cultivation and create awareness among the farmers in those crop cultivations. Cultivation of medicinal herbs and fruits in the reserves was also discussed. He also instructed the officials to renovate the minor irrigation canals in the district.

The President also instructed the officials to take stern action against the squatters in the Hantana forest reserve.

In general the President asked the relevant authorities to draw plans to uplift the lives of the public in the district within the next three years.

Ministers, Parliamentarians, people’s representatives, Secretaries to the Ministries and senior Government officials, Governor of Central Province Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake and President’s Chief of Staff Gamini Senarath also participated in the meeting.