The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan
Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan raised a Standing Order 27(2) question on delays in rehabilitating Kankesanthurai Port, noting its historical role and potential to expand trade with India, tourism, exports and foreign exchange for the Northern and Eastern Provinces. He asked why work has not begun despite a reported US$65 million Indian grant and a completed Environmental Impact Assessment, and whether inter-departmental issues over environmental approvals are causing the delay. He sought details on government plans for the port, the expected commencement and completion dates of rehabilitation, and the timeline for starting shipping services.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Delay in Renovating Kankesanthurai Port
¶ 02 Hon. Speaker, under Standing Order 27(2), I address the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation:
¶ 03 Kankesanthurai (KKS), historically a key Sri Lankan port, functioned well before the war. Renovating it as a commercial port can significantly boost trade between India—especially South India—and the Northern and Eastern Provinces, increase tourism, and earn foreign exchange. After nearly 45 years of lost development (30 years of war till 2009 and 15 years since), Northern Province lags. India has offered US$65 million as a grant for KKS rehabilitation, and the Environmental Impact Assessment has been prepared. Why is the development still delayed?
¶ 04 1. Given KKS’s historical and economic importance, what plans exist to increase tourism and foreign exchange via production-related exports/imports? 2. If India has offered to bear the full cost as a grant, why is there delay in commencing rehabilitation? 3. Are inter-departmental delays in deciding on environmental impacts causing holdups? 4. When will rehabilitation start and finish, and when will shipping services commence?
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 23 July 2025 ·No. 1754386160089643 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 23 July 2025. No. 1754386160089643. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/4146