Kiriella promises to commence construction of tunnel to ease traffic in Kandy town next year

• South Korea to fund the project 

Construction of the Deiyannewela to Tennekumbura tunnel needed to alleviate the congestion in Kandy is set to begin next year, Leader of the House and Minister of Public Enterprise, Kandyan Heritage and Kandy Development Lakshman Kiriella said. 

Noting that the construction was suspended due to the objections from certain people in the Government, the Minister, speaking at the launching ceremony of the Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service in the Central Province yesterday, said that Cabinet approval has been granted for the project. 

“Residents of Kandy continue to question about the Kandy tunnel. We have received Cabinet approval to build a tunnel from Deiyannewela to Tennekumbura in order to alleviate the traffic congestion in Kandy. The South Korean Government has stepped forward to support the project. The Korean Ambassador brought this matter to my attention on a number of occasions, enquiring as to why it has not been implemented so far,” he said. 

“I met the Foreign Minister of South Korea when he was in the island for a visit. They are ready to grant the funds. Every city in the world has subterranean cities. Those cities will never collapse. We intend to take measures to start this project by the first quarter of next year. We have the necessary funds and the support from the Ambassador. And we have Korean Engineers to support the project in addition to the Cabinet approval. This is a fact.” 

The Minister also noted that the issue was raised during President Maithripala Sirisena’s visit to Korea as well. 

“One of the first matters to be raised by them was regarding the construction of the relevant tunnel. We have funds and the plans for the project,” he said.



However, the Minister said that the project was stalled due to misinformation regarding the proposal. 

“One of the main reasons for the problem is that certain people from our Government had informed the leaders that if the respective tunnel was to be built, it would cause Dalada Maligawa to collapse. They have further warned that there could be leakage from the Kandy Lake as well. This tunnel does not go anywhere near Maligawa. They do such things out of spite,” he said.