VIDEO: Large-scale misappropriations in railroad projects - Dayasiri

Instead of gaining the tag of ‘Wonder of Asia’, Sri Lanka is fast earning the right to be called the ‘Wonder of corruption’, the UNP stated.

Speaking at a press conference held today (August 3) in Colombo, UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera stated that there were clear signs of large scale misappropriations in the recent laying of railway lines.

He reminded the public that with the use of domestic engineers, domestic resources and local raw materials the laying of the railway lines in the South that were destroyed in the tsunami took 56 days while costing around Rs.60 million per kilometre.

He revealed that following the project, the estimated cost was as low as Rs.40 million per kilometre.

However, MP Jayasekera said that despite these obvious advantages, the government had contracted foreign companies to handle the laying of these railroads.

The MP further explained how the construction of the coastal railroad was handed over to India in 2005 while it took until March in 2011 for the project to be completed while the promise of 100km per hour travel speed only lasts for five minutes.

The Medawachchiya-Talaimannar railroad restoration was handed over to a Chinese company outside the usual tender process while the project cost around Rs.230 million per kilometre where as it would have cost around Rs.60 million if domestic resources were used, he said.

The MP went on to explain how several other railroad projects were handled likewise.