NCP, EP road projects on schedule

Nimal Wijesinghe - Anuradhapura Additional District Group Correspondent

The Asian Development Bank funded North Central and Eastern Provincial road development projects are now progressing on schedule.

The Eastern and North Central Provincial Road Project (ENCPRP) was approved by the ADB last year with a loan of US$ 70 million for its implementation.

Around 250 km and 150 km of roads in the North Central and Eastern Provinces respectively are being rehabilitated under this road project.

Capacity building technical assistance is also being provided for institutional development of provincial road agencies in the NCP and EP to modernize offices, improve businesses and manage road development projects. The Asian Development Bank has entrusted the implementation of the road project to the North Central Provincial Road Development Authority and Eastern Province Road Development Department.

An ADB Review Mission comprising mission Leader Aruna Nanayakkara, Project Implementation Officer Manjula Amarasinghe, Project Implementation Officer (Environment and Agriculture) , Disbursement Officer Jayamali Ranaweera and Analyst Apsara Rajapaksa visited the work sites of the project in NCP and the EP to review the overall performance of the project implementation of the environmental and social aspects concerning the ongoing work.

The mission joined by the provincial road project heads and top executives inspected the Oyamaduwa-Thanthirimalay, Oyamaduwa-Paymaduwa, Parasangaswewa-Katukeliyawa, Pothana-Ihalagama, Ranpathwila-Allewewa roads in the Anuradhapura District and several sites including Manikkampitiya road, Muslim Colony Road and Medirigiriya Meegaswewa road in the Polonnaruwa District.

The ADB team also visited the Kiran Ferry Road, Vavichenai Access Road, Hensman Road, Thalankuda-Manmunai Road, Komaria-Mandur Road, Kaivaikai-Kakamunai-Manaichchenai Road, Kanniya-Allesgarden Road, Pankulam-Kivulekada-Thiriyaya and Kuchchaveli-Kallampathai Road in the Batticaloa and Trincomalee Districts. The NCPs Road Projects Provincial Project Director and the PRDA (NCP) General Manager Senarath Pushpakumara told the Daily News that the NCP road project would be completed by the end of year 2012.