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ADB aid for Northern Sri Lanka
21 June 2010: The Asian Development Band (ADB) sanctioned $154.4 million (approx Rs 717.96 crore) in funds for the Northern Road Connectivity Project in Sri Lanka to rebuild the roads in the conflict-affected northern region.
The ADB Board of Directors has approved the loan from ADB's ordinary capital resources and concessionary Asian Development Fund. It will also provide a technical assistance grant of $500,000 to support agencies that manage and maintain the roads.
The road network in the region had been severely damaged due to the long-running war and neglect hampering the transportation of goods to markets outside the region and isolating the region from the more prosperous South.
The project will carry out civil works on 140 km of provincial roads in Mannar and Vavuniya districts, including those linking settlements to markets, as well as major feeder roads connecting towns and villages. Another 170 km of national roads will be rehabilitated, helping link the north to city centers in the south. The improved surfacing and widening will help cut travel time and costs, revitalizing travel between the north and south, the release added.
The project due to be completed in 2015, will facilitate access to essential social services, help resume livelihood activities, and revitalize transport of goods and peoples between the country's northern and southern regions.
Source: Colombo Page