17 road constructions only partially completed in Kegalle

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Construction of 17 roads located in several parts of the Kegalle district including Deraniyagala, Bulathkohupitiya, Dehiowita, and Yatiyanthota have been stopped for almost a year. The construction of 17 roads including the road between Warakathanna and Meegasthanna, the road between Deegala junction and Roocastle and the road between Boralankada and Islawaththe started on the 17th of January last year. The estimated distance of these 17 roads are 80 kilometers. Rs. 2007 million received as part of the financial aid from the Asian Development Bank, was allocated to finance these projects. However, a few months after the construction began, the contractors had stopped all work. The public is now facing severe difficulties due to the abrupt end of the construction. Local residents charge that the reason behind the delay is possibly because the funds allocated for the project was misappropriated or if the contracts were awarded at a lower cost. Former JVP MP Gamini Rathnayake said that the then Ministers and Deputy Ministers under the good governance government, Kabir Hashim, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Dushmantha Mithrapala and MPs of the ruling party had participated at the launch ceremony of the construction. He continued to say that upon approval of the Minister the contract for all 17 roads were awarded to the same company without even conducting a proper assessment of the company.