The Indian government is likely to give the green light for the revival of the ferry service between Sri Lanka and India, as requested by the Lankan government during a meeting of Transport Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) countries in Colombo today (July 25).
A joint communiqué is expected to be announced this afternoon regarding the final decision at the conclusion of the meeting at the Hilton in Colombo.
Sri Lankais also keen to maintain a ferry service between Colomboport and the ports of Cochin and Tuticorin on India’s south coasts, the Transport Ministry said. This would assist in the movement of cargo among these ports.
The SAARC Transport Ministers will also discuss ways to reduce barriers at border crossings in the region to encourage more travel and transport of goods, a Transport Ministry statement said.
The popular and well patronized ferry service between Talaimannar on Sri Lanka’s north-west coast and Dhanushkodi, in India which also had a railway link, was suspended during the 1980s due to the fighting between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military.
Since then, several attempts were made to review this service, which never reached any fruitful conclusion due to the uncertain security concerns in the areas.
Some 25 years ago the Indo-Sri Lanka ferry service was transporting some 80,000 passengers between the two countries annually. This was the cheapest mode of transport while being the most popular with the upper and lower middle class passengers.
During a similar meeting last year attended by Sri Lanka’s Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma, Indiahad given a tentative nod for the revival of this service. And now that the LTTE has been defeated and the areas are under government control and undergoing development at a quick phase, India is expected to fully agree to the service.
source: adaderana