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PM explains plans for Indo-Lanka road network 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, now on an official visit to India, has explained plans for bringing the two countries closer, with a road network that would one day stretch from Hambantota to Mumbai.

"Work on the proposed Colombo-Matara highway will start soon. That will be followed by more work on a Matara to Hambantota highway. The link to the North will be from Colombo to Mannar and then via a bridge across the Palk strait to southern India. The Indians themselves are planning major highways linking the bridge to Bangalore, Chennai and ultimately Mumbai," Prime Minister Wickremesinghe explained at several meetings in India.

The Prime Minister described this move as "good news for India and even better news for Sri Lanka".

"Every part of these highways will open up trade opportunities with factories and small business starting upto take advantage of that trade. Some way into the future but on the mapping plan are highways from Hambantota via Kalmunai to Batticaloa and then onto Trincomalee via Polonnaruwa. There will also be a major road from Trincomalee to Mannar completing the link-up. This major highway system will reduce travelling times to all parts of the island and open up major opportunities for business and creation of jobs," he has said.

He explained plans for making Sri Lanka a gateway for the whole of South Asia. "Pivotal in that process is the proposed port at Hambantota. This proposed port at Hambantota is so close to this major shipping lane that it will act as a magnet and encourage ships to dock there. From there some ships will then go onto Colombo. Trincomalee and southern Indian ports but more important will be the potential road transport trade."

"Just in Hambantota alone this will mean the setting up of a Free Trade Zone, the proposed e-Sri Lanka World City and a string of business and job opportunities in the towns and villages in that region. But capturing that trade will have far reaching effects for the rest of the country too."

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