Special provisions for Port City and Ruwanpura Expressway land acquisition

• Cabinet approves measures for land owners to receive compensation above Govt. valuer mandate 
• Reasons should be submitted to Land Acquisition and Restoration Committee 
• Highways Ministry says system followed for 18 projects

By Uditha Jayasinghe 

Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella

Cabinet has approved special provisions when providing compensation for land acquired for the

elevated Port City and Ruwanpura Expressways, a top official said yesterday. 

Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters during the online weekly Cabinet briefing that land owners would have the opportunity to apply for additional relief beyond what was customarily provided by the Government valuer. 

These provisions will be provided under the Orders (Compensation) for Land Acquisition published by the extraordinary gazette No. 1864/54 for the lands acquired under 18 projects implemented under the Ministry of Highways.

“The affected parties from the acquisition of relevant lands may obtain appropriate relief apart from the statutory compensation by submitting reasons to the Land Acquisition and Restoration Committee with regard to the estimated sum decided by the Department of Valuation under the prescribed provisions,” Rambukwella said.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution submitted by Highways Minister Johnston Fernando to adhere to the Applicable Orders (Compensation) for Land Acquisition gazette of 2013 for the Port City Expressway Project that will run on pillars and the Ruwanpura Expressway Project. 

In July Cabinet decided to give the Ruwanpura Expressway Project (REP) to local contractors, changing previous plans that had earmarked the first phase to be awarded to a Chinese company. The China National Technical Import and Export Corporation (CNTIC) was awarded the first section of the Ruwanpura Expressway to construct 26.3 km from Kahatuduwa to Ingiriya in 2016. 

However, it was earlier reported that the venture ran into trouble after the Government attempted to change some of the conditions at the start of this year, which included requiring the Chinese company to obtain the full cost of the project, and giving the Government more leeway on when repayments would start after the project was completed. The cost of the project has not yet been disclosed by the Road Development Authority (RDA). 

Accordingly, the proposal presented by Highways, Ports and Shipping Minister Johnston Fernando was given Cabinet approval to proceed with the Expressway construction, using the funds of local banks and the services of local construction companies. The REP from Kahatuduwa to Pelmadulla via Ratnapura (73.9 km) has been divided into three sections for implementation purposes. Section 1 is from Kahatuduwa to Ingiriya (26.3 km), Section 2 from Ingiriya to Ratnapura (26.2 km), and Section 3 from Ratnapura to Pelmadulla (21.4 km).

The Rs. 28 billion Port City Expressway began construction in September 2019 and is funded by a $ 300 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).