Lanka hints at restarting China-funded mega port city project within six months

Sri Lanka's new cabinet has agreed to appoint a fresh committee to review the agreement on a mega China-funded port city project so that the construction of the project could be restarted. The 1.4 billion U.S. dollar Colombo port city project funded by the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) was suspended by the Maithripala Sirisena government in March after concerns were raised over some aspects of the project. The construction of the project began in September last year under the then Mahinda Rajapakse government. However, Cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne told journalists in a weekly media briefing here that following a recommendation by Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, the cabinet had agreed to appoint a fresh committee to address these issues so that the project could continue. "We want to overcome these issues so that we can continue with the project. We hope to sort all these issues within the coming six months," Senaratne told Xinhua at the end of the briefing. The new Sri Lanka government recently said that it hoped to include the Colombo Port City under its megalopolis development plan in order to develop capital Colombo. Minister of Megalopolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka said that the government hoped to transform the country into a "smart and technologically advanced nation" in the coming five years and the Port city would be included in its development plans. The government last month extended the agreement of the project for a further six months as the agreement signed between the government and the CCCC in September last year expired last month.  (Xinhua)