Construction of the Gampaha section of the Central Expressway has not been stopped, said the Secretary to the Ministry of Highways, Mr. R. W. R. Premasiri states.
Many villages including Gampaha town were inundated due to the recent rains. There were allegations from the public that their villages had been submerged due to the construction of the expressway.
A committee was appointed headed by the Minister of Highways Johnston Fernando and the Ministers of the Gampaha District to hold a special discussion with the officials of the Road Development Authority, the Irrigation Department and the Land Development Corporation of Sri Lanka in this regard. Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, a member of the committee, told the media that work on the Gampaha section of the expressway had been suspended.
Secretary to the Ministry of Highways Mr. R.W. R. Premasiri states that the construction of the expressway is being carried out as planned.
He said that the presence of more than 300 mm of rain in a very short period of time and the failure to repair the drainage systems and canals in the area and the obstructions in water flow of the railway tracks have been identified as the main reasons for the Gampaha floods.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Highways stated that he has decided to implement the committee appointed to look into the floods to review the water management study conducted in the feasibility study conducted before the construction of the expressway & to revise the number of drainage culverts and bridges if recommended.
