Rajapaksas estimates: 1km of Matara-Kataragama rail track to cost over US$ 10.7mn

Friday, 04 October 2013

The proposed Matara-Kataragama railway track that was proposed by the UNP regime in 1989 is to now be implemented by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government.

The rail track was delayed since the People’s Alliance government in 1994 decided to give priority to the construction of the Southern Expressway.

However, the Rajapaksa government that is engaged in high level corruption under the guise of development has decided to implement the Matara-Kataragama rail track project.

According to the government’s estimates, a kilometre of the rail track would cost almost US$ 10.7 million – a new record by the Rajapaksa government.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) says that the proposed Matara-Kataragama railway project is rife with corruption.

Head of the UNP’s Communications Division, parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera said that the Transport Ministry has submitted the relevant Cabinet memorandum for approval.

He explained that the first phase of the project from Matara to Beliatte is estimated to cost US$ 290 million.

“This means a kilometre of the rail track would cost almost US$ 10.7 million, which could easily be identified as a record worth being entered in the Guinness Book of world records,” Samaraweera said.

However, he noted that the Mahinda Chinthana policy statement notes on page 117 that a kilometre of the rail track would cost US$ 3 million.

According to Samaraweera, a kilometre of the track should cost between US$ 2.5 million and US$ 3 million in line with international prices.