Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that the feasibility study for establishing land connectivity with India is nearing completion. During his visit to the northeastern district of Mannar to inspect the developmental projects, Wickremesinghe confirmed that the preliminary work for the study has been completed and the final phase is underway.
In July 2023, during a visit to India, Wickremesinghe has discussed the development of land bridge between the two countries in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The proposal for land connectivity had come from Sri Lanka said New Delhi that time.
Creating land connectivity across the Palk Strait which is narrow as 25km (15 miles) at certain points would provide India access to ports like Trincomalee and Colombo. This initiative aims to fortify the millennia old relationship between the two neighbouring countries. The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka serves as a rich fishing ground for both countries. Incidents of fishermen from both nations being arrested for inadvertently trespassing into the waters are common.
This proposal along with the prospect of a power grid connection between India and Sri Lanka is expected to be a key discussion topic with during the visit of the Indian Minister of External Affairs Subramaniam Jaishankar to Sri Lanka this week. Wickremesinghe also indicated the discussions would include a commercial venture to sell excess renewable energy from Sri Lanka to India.
The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry announced that Jaishankar is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on June 20, 2024. However, no official confirmation from India’s Ministry of External Affairs regarding the visit. If confirmed, this would mark Jaishankar’s first official stand-alone visit abroad since the External Affairs Minister in the newly formed government earlier this month.
During Jaishankar’s visit, the discussions are expected to cover all projects in Sri Lanka, including th Adani groups wind power project and development of an industrial zone in the eastern port district of Trincomalee an Indian media agency reported. Additionally, fisheries minister Douglas Devananda stated that Sri Lanka plans to raise the issue of illegal fishing in its waters by Indian fishermen including the practice of bottom trawling.
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