COLOMBO : Transport and Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said on Sunday, Jan.14 that the Government of India has expressed its willingness to provide 20 train engines worth Rs.16 billion as a grant to Sri Lanka.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Government Information Department, Minister Dr. Gunawardhana said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made the grant, on a written request made by Minister Gunawardhana to the former Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Baglay. He said that each of the 20 train engines is worth Rs. 800 million.
“After I took up this Ministry, the former Indian High Commissioner, Gopal Baglay did us a big favour on my request to build our railway service, just as he gave us a lot of financial support to get out of the economic crisis.
“Therefore, I, as the Minister, wrote to the Indian High Commissioner to help us as we had a huge shortage of locomotives and we could not afford capital expenditure to buy trains at this time and loan assistance will not be available until the existing debt is restructured.
“At this time, I would like to thank the Indian Government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and High Commissioner Baglay for agreeing to provide 20 locomotive engines that are currently running and spare parts for three more trains,” the Minister said. He said that the Sri Lanka Railway service, which for long has provided a public transport service, is in a very bad state and all sections have reached a point where it is impossible to maintain it.
