[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open the newly constructed Panichchankarni Bridge located on A15, Batticaloa- Trincomalee road in Wakarai yesterday (August 01).

This bridge was destroyed by the Tsunami disaster in 2004. The new bridge constructed at a cost of 1,060 million rupees. The bridge, which is 132 metres in length and 10.4 metres wide, has been constructed utilising local funds and 769 million rupees granted by the Japanese government. In line with the construction of the bridge, a new causeway with an average length of 207 metres has also been constructed on either side of the bridge to access to the new bridge.

Constructing this new bridge under the “Nagenahira Novodaya ((Reawakening of the East)” fulfills another pledge in the “Mahinda Chintana” to build the new bridge in place of the old bridge, which will directly benefit the public in the area. It also fulfills a long felt need of the people in the area.

Addressing the opening ceremony President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the government’s main objective is to build up a peaceful country in which all communities will be able to live in harmony as children of one mother. The government is also committed to secure the democratic rights of the people and create a unitary and peaceful country for the future generations. The President further stated that it is government’s responsibility to renovate roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and religious places destroyed by both the Tsunami disaster and the terrorism and vested with the public to connect all the communities.

Meanwhile President Mahinda Rajapaksa inspected a number of projects in the Eastern Province and vested many development projects in the public.

Project Minister Nirmala Kotalawala, Deputy Ministers M.L.A.M. Hisbullah, Vinayagamurthi Muralidharan, Governor of the Eastern Province Mohan Wijewickrama and Chief Minister Najib A. Majid were amongst the dignitaries who participated in the occasion.

Pix By : Nalin Hewapathirana