COLOMBO – A shipment of 10 Bailey Bridges that arrived in Colombo from Visakhapatnam aboard the Indian Navy vessel INS Gharial was handed over to Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku by India’s Acting High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, on Thursday (5).
The consignment forms part of India’s US$5 million grant for post-cyclone Ditwah reconstruction aimed at restoring transport links in badly affected areas. Another shipment carrying the remaining components is expected shortly, the Indian High Commission said in a statement.
The bridge supplies are included in a broader US$450 million Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Package announced by India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during a visit to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of cyclone.
The statement also noted that the Indian Army engineers were conducting technical assessments for installation in coordination with the Sri Lankan Army and the Road Development Authority, with the structures set to be deployed at multiple locations across the island.
India previously supplied four Bailey Bridges to Sri Lanka, two of which were installed in Kilinochchi District and two along the Kandy–Ragala road. Those crossings helped restore access in difficult terrain and supported the resumption of essential services and economic activity for local communities.
-ENCL
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