Rural roads get Rs 3,000 m

Irangika RANGE

The Government has allocated Rs 3,000 million to upgrade the rural road network across the country under the Gama Neguma project this year.

A Highways and Road Development Ministry Spokesman told the Daily News that all roads in villages will be laid with concrete as pledged in the Mahinda Chintana to develop all rural roads under the Gama Neguma with the objective of developing every village with all facilities.

"We use the Interlocking Concrete Block Paving technique recommended by experts to concrete the rural roads which is more suitable for the road conditions in Sri Lanka," he said.

The Highways Ministry has embarked on a massive rural road development program which have been neglected for decades without maintenance and rehabilitation.

Most rural roads have originated and used as footpaths or cart tracks. Hence there is a need to redesign selected rural roads to cater to the developing needs of Sri Lanka and rehabilitate them to provide better connectivity to rural areas.

"We want the rural Sri Lankan community served with reliable road access to each and every household compared to the highly developed road network maintained in developed countries," he said.

Improved transport infrastructure will enhance communication facilities and improve economic and social standard of the people. The Government started the Maga Neguma program to widen and concrete rural roads which had earlier confined to the main road network.

Bridges and culverts are renovated and reconstructed under this program.

The total rural road network of Sri Lanka is 80,600 km. Nearly 9,000 km out of the total has already been concreted and widened under the Maga Neguma program.