Sri Lanka, India mull cooperation in promoting fossil fuel alternatives in transport sector

Outgoing Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda, paying a farewell call on Indian Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari, has discussed cooperation in promoting alternatives to fossil fuels such as electricity and bio-fuels in the transport sector.

Moragoda called on Minister Gadkari on 24 August in New Delhi.

The alternatives to fossil fuels were seen as highly cost-effective and environment friendly, suitable to a country like Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi said in a statement.

The Indian minister spoke on his country’s experience in alternative fuels and expressed his willingness to share the relevant expertise with Sri Lanka.

At the outset, High Commissioner Moragoda thanked the Indian Road Transport and Highways Minister for the cooperation that the latter extended to him during his tenure in New Delhi.

He also apprised the Minister of the references to connectivity, particularly those that are on road connectivity, in the Indo-Lanka joint document “Promoting Connectivity, Catalysing Prosperity: India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership Vision”, which was issued following bilateral talks between the President of Sri Lanka and the Prime Minister of India in July.

The two sides discussed ways and means through which the connectivity goals stipulated in the joint Vision document could be materialized.

High Commissioner Moragoda invited Minister Gadkari to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time, which the Minister accepted.

The Sri Lanka envoy also presented to Minister Gadkari a stone obtained from the stream flowing besides the Seetha Amman Temple in Seetha Eliya (Ashoka Vatika) in Sri Lanka, which is believed to be the site where Seetha was held captive according to the Ramayana.