Thursday, 19 March 2015 00:07
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Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Arjuna Ranatunga yesterday said that although the controversial Port City Project had been suspended, the filling of reclaimed lands is continuing due to a request made by the Chinese contractor to prevent sea erosion during the monsoon period.
Talking to the media, he said that a final decision on the project would be taken based on the report of the committee investigating the details of the project.
“There are a few critical issues to be addressed such as the environment impact and the feasibility of the project. Unfortunately the previous regime had looked into the impact from this project and we cannot proceed till we address those issues. However, the contractor of this project, the Chinese Communication Construction Company (CCCC) is aware of the reasons for the suspension of the work. We will revisit the entire project, redraw the plans if necessary and attend to all issues raised by many groups before restarting the construction work on the full agreement of the CCCC,” Ranatunga said.
Expressing the Government’s views regarding the Mattala International Airport (MIA) the minister said his ministry would be in trouble if the Government failed to find an investor for the MIA because Rs. 250 million is needed monthly for its maintenance.
“We are considering the possibility of merging the national carrier SriLankan and the loss-making budget airline Mihin Lanka, but a final decision will be taken after the final report of the three-member committee headed by J.C Weliamuna is received on 31 March,” Ranatunga added.
