The government advanced the commissioning of the
newly constructed Ramboda tunnel by President Mahinda Rajapaksa
by a day to prevent a possible LTTE attempt to target the
President.
The President and Japanese Ambassador in Sri
Lanka Kiyoshi Araki attended the opening ceremony on Saturday
although it was scheduled to take place yesterday. The police
and the army moved in additional units to the area to enhance
security for Sunday’s opening but the government advanced the
function.
Japan provided Rs 3.1 billion towards the
construction of the Gampola-Nuwara Eliya roads and the
construction of the Ramboda tunnel under her ODA (Official
Development Assistance) loan scheme. The project focused on the
improvement of the 54 km Gampola-Nuwara Eliya road and the 17 km
Gampola-Nawalapitiya road. The Ramboda tunnel is the longest in
Sri Lanka.
