Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake says the Rajapaksa family had leased the service area of the Southern Expressway for 99 years for Rs. 10,000.
Addressing the Parliament today, Minister Rathnayake said that the associates of the Rajapaksa family had prevented the construction of several other approved service areas.
“There were several discrepancies during the construction of the Southern Expressway, with several being implemented against the feasibility studies. Billions have been wasted through this project,” he said.
The minister revealed that one such discrepancy was the construction of two interchanges with entry points that were not part of the original plan of the Southern Expressway.
“One is Kapuduwa, which is 05 KM away from Godagama in Matale. This only facilitates travel to and from Colombo. Another one is Bedigama, which is 06 Km away from Beliatta,” he said, adding that over Rs. 10 million is spent to construct one interchange.
He made the remarks in response to questions raised by opposition MPs Rohitha Abeygunawardena and Ajith. P. Perera, in Parliament today. (Newswire)