The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake
Bimal Rathnayake provided timelines for sections of the Central Expressway, stating that Kadawatha–Mirigama is targeted for 1 September 2028, Pothuhera–Rambukkana for March 2027 with an expectation of earlier completion, and the full project by 2029. He said funds for Dambulla land compensation had been allocated by the President while the funding source is being finalized. He also said advertising on roads should be considered with road safety as the priority, and urged media responsibility, warning against content that incites the public.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Member, regarding the Central Expressway: our officials indicate the Kadawatha–Mirigama section is targeted for completion by 1 September 2028; we believe it can be finished a few months earlier. The Pothuhera–Rambukkana section through your electorate is scheduled for March 2027; we believe it can be completed before 31 December 2026. Funds for Dambulla land compensation have been allocated by the President; a funding source is being finalized. The Central Expressway as a whole should be completed by 2029.
¶ 02 On advertising, we must study it with road safety in mind. The road’s function is paramount, though I accept we should monetize what can be monetized.
¶ 03 On the media, they may write articles and opinions, but they should not incite the public. Some media once branded Dr. Shafi a terrorist; such conduct ignites the country. Let us act responsibly.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Monday, 24 November 2025 ·No. 23008 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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- not yet extracted — page/column anchors are not in the current dataset; the source PDF is the citable location.
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/lk/speeches/15409
Cite as: The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 24 November 2025. No. 23008. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/15409