By Arun Kumaresan –
Arun Kumaresan – Air Vice Marshal (Ret’d)
Duplicity at its best – ‘Hanuman’ bridge was approved by ex President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mr Wimal Weerawansa currently on bail over investigations related financial misappropriation had sufficiently recovered from the VIP remand sickness to address the Joint Opposition Mayday rally at Galle Face green. A fire brand speaker took a deep nudge alleging present government’s effort to build the “Hanuman Bridge” and was of the strong view the upcoming Indian Prime Minister’s visit to mark the UN celebration of “Vesak” is beginning of the ‘indianisation’ and vomiting his gut out of an apparent doomsday scenario in Sri Lanka. He made a clarion call for hoisting of black flags during Vesak in the presence of the former President MR as a mark of protest to the Indian PM’s visit.
However, Mr Wimal Weerawansa in 2011 was the Minister of Construction, Engineering Housing and Common Amenities. He spearheaded a NATIONAL PHYSICAL PLANNING POLICY AND KEY PROJECTS. The depth of his study needs accolades!!! He published his vision based on a detailed study thro’ a government gazette notification. As stated in the second para of the gazette authenticated by J M L Jayasekara Director General National Physical Planning Division quote “was recommended by the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating committee on 09/112010 and approved by the National Planning Council chaired by H.E the President on 13/01/2011 as per section 4© 0f the act”. Hence, it has been with the full blessings of the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his ministerial colleagues. The preamble and the relevant content of the said gazette as follows:
The relevant portions of the gazette relating to Weerawansa Hanuman Bridge and planned road/rail links with are great neighbor India is reproduced and depicted below (Please read the full gazette notification, which is attached, to get an insight of this great visionary Weerawansa with specific reference to the map indicating the link off Manner pier)
(3) Projects in the International and Asian Context
3.1 Transport and Access
3.1.1 Asian Highway
Proposals to link Sri Lanka with the South Asian mainland by road and rail, such as the Asian Highway and Trans-Asian Railway would drastically change Sri Lanka’s trade and exchange with India and other South Asian neighbors.
3.1.2 Trans-Asian Railway
A railway bridge crossing appears to be the least cost mode of direct connection based on available data. Initially a single-line railway may be installed which could be converted to a double line later. The advantage of a railway crossing over the ship crossing is the continuity of passage without the need for transfer of modes.
Proposed Sri Lanka/India Connection
- Palk Strait
It is undisputed that due to the close proximity to the Indian Subcontinent, setting up of the proposed Asian Highway link between Sri Lanka and India would benefit Sri Lanka immensely. Some benefits that could accrue are stated as follows:
- Promotion of international transport and regional integration
- ….
5. Major cargo input to ports at Colombo and Hambanthota from and to Indian Subcontinent.
3.5 List of International and Asian Context Projects:
Mannar City Development:
The transport hub development is main feature of the Mannar City development. Mannar is located very close to India with minimum travelling distance. Asian super highway project will, add more value to Mannar town and have a potential to act as an entire port connects the other ports of the country and India.
As a whole it would be:
- Gateway to Asia (Indo-Sri Lanka Bridge);
- Entrepot (India and other ports of the country);
- Transport terminal (including bus and railway terminals).
Therefore, it would attract more floating population such as tourist, business people and pilgrims from other countries create more demand for more accommodation places to be located in Mannar.
Hence, we should not blame PM Modi or Indian Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, as the said projects to increase trade and regional integration has been approved by the Government of Sri Lanka headed by Mahinda Rajapakshha and given legitimacy with the publication of the Gazette no 1729/15 dated 27/10/2011 by the visionary Wimal Weerawansa seemingly without any pressures from India. As per the gazette the Hanuman Bridge will attract more floating population such as tourist, business people and pilgrims to our country. Hence, Weerawansa likes who get overwhelmed by the phobia of ‘indianisation’ should pose their protests to the former regime.
As a mark of respect and recognition for initiating the construction of the bridge in the revered record of Rama, Sita and Hanuman from Ramayana by the great sage Valmiki, Indian PM should seriously consider recommending our Weerawansa Sahodaraya for a “Padma Bushana” award for his efforts to make this bridge a reality. Hope, MS and RW do not now cash in on the approval given by MR for Hanuman Bridge, as there are other much needed socio political issues and socio economic development needs that merit urgent attention.
Whilst leaving the issues related to building a link to India aside, Weerawansa’s outbursts epitomizes the nudity of our political scribes and the emotions they create to capture votes at any cost. Hope the public is made aware; as such emotions in past have only fuelled hatred leading to bloodshed.
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”
Analyst / May 10, 2017
Weerawansa can be a firebrand with verbal diarrhoea escaping from all of his orifices , but the real,jokers are the present government allowing him to spread vile against anything and everything the government plans to implement.
It will not be too long before the Mafia in the name of Joint Oppositions are ready to stab the President and the PM.
The PM and the President can continue to protect the real thieves who plunderered the state funds and live in luxury while the unemployment in the North and East continue to multiply.
No hope for them to be employed .
All the new industries are earmarked and installed successfully in the south while the Northerners starve??
Is this DEMOCRACY PRESIDENT??
Please continue your Tea party with the STATE THIEVES. You’re not ruling a democratic country but a Mafia against the Minority which can never be a prosperous Nation / ( blot in the Indian Ocean ) in the world .
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Analyst / May 10, 2017
” Equality is key to social justice” Our Presidents’s Vesak Message, Are you serious President??
2 1/2 years have passed , where’s the equality??
For example while one of the Eastern province’ s bought up EX LTTE … MR COOLIE Ex Member of Parliament is still languishing in prison the other Big time crooks including the Medamulla crook is rolling in luxury. Out side the prison.
If the president can let the crooks run free the same should apply to all the crooks.
All must be treated EQUALLY !! Is it not your Mantra??
How anyone can take our President seriously , while he sits on one end of the rubber band he gets pulled over to the other side just like a YOYO!!
Poor man continue to be in a Dilemma!!
He cannot RULE THE COUNTRY, OUR COUNTRY.
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Native Vedda / May 10, 2017
Arun Kumaresan
Thanks for reminding us the Pan Asian Highway which was initially mooted by UN in early or mid 1950s and reminded by Ranil in 2001.
However your article is timely and important that the readers need to be constantly reminded of the hypocrisy of noisy minority who suffer from selective and deliberate amnesia.
For example, Sanja De Silva Jayatilleka, the war monger Dayan Jayatilleka, Rajeewa Jayaweera, Champika Ranawake, ….. are the well known hypocrites and public racists.
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The Professional / May 11, 2017
This highway and railway network was mooted by UNESCAP in 1959. During that period Asian labour resource was redundant due to long fallow periods between harvesting seasons. European production systems were labour intensive those days and the highway and railway networks linking Europe and Asia were thought of as means of facilitating movement of much needed labour resource. Now it is not so. Almost all members of European Community and Tiger Economies of Asia have gone high tech and their production facilities are no longer labour intensive.
Now with Sri Lanka’s Agri sector’s contribution to GDP at less than 20%, and third and fourth generations of Agri colonies, leaving their homes for jobs in industrial and services sectors, a labour force is required to sustain labour intensive Agri, Construction, Plantation and Tourism Sectors. It was reported that nearly 80,000 workers from Tamil Nadu were working in the paddy fields in Vavuniya to Beliatta during the last Maha Season. It has also been reported that nearly 50,000 TN and Chinese are working in construction projects.
If ours is a labour crisis, then signing an FTA with India is not the solution. WTO/GATS provide for labour integration without formal FTAs. Unfortunately, the Policy Planners in the Department of Commerce and the Ministry of Policy Planning are not aware of this. To them Indo-lanka Bridge and FTA or CEPA or ETCA with India are the solutions. To India, the Bridge is the cheapest mean of exporting produce from Eastern India to Europe and Americas. That is through Trincomalee. Singaporeans are also interested in Trinco because they have run out of land resources with links to ports and air ports. The Metro Region of Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa has the potential for growth, which Singaporeans like very much.
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Native Vedda / May 12, 2017
The Professional
“It was reported that nearly 80,000 workers from Tamil Nadu were working in the paddy fields in Vavuniya to Beliatta during the last Maha Season.”
“It has also been reported that nearly 50,000 TN and Chinese are working in construction projects.”
Could you cite your source.
Please note I may have 1001 follow up questions.
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The Professional / May 12, 2017
Dear NV,
I contacted the two Professionals (One an Agriculturist, the other a Construction Engineer), who gave me this info at the OPA a few weeks ago. They stand by the figures but did not disclose the sources. Still you can fire your 1001 follow up questions and I will try my best to respond. Toady (12th May) I will not go to OPA for my weekly chat but will be meeting the usual gang next week.
Now that MR and GR had met with Mody, it is likely that Hanuman would resign to his inevitable fate.
Warm regards,
The Professional
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Emanuel Perumal / May 14, 2017
“The Professional “
“It was reported that nearly 80,000 workers from Tamil Nadu were working in the paddy fields in Vavuniya to Beliatta during the last Maha Season.”
Friday, 26 January,2001 Gujarat earthquake Modi was around and the rich gujaratis of the west pooled in all necessary resources. But the money was swindled and construction of 400k homes was lagging the relatives of 20,000 dead were compensated and cared for.
Then they called in the Tamil Nadu engineers and Tamil Nadu labour and the job was complete. Same with the T.N. Tsunami with no aid even from Clinton foundation was accepted While Lankave Sinhala buddhist swindled the AID by school kids of UK to create the monster rajapaksa and his sinhala buddhist pack of hyenas like professionals.
It takes honest, intelligent and hardworking men and women to achieve that unlike the buying and selling pol buruvas.
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The Professional / May 12, 2017
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/
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old codger / May 13, 2017
N.V,
Check out Sunday Times May 30th. The figure is said to be 200,000, many on tourist visas.
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Native Vedda / May 13, 2017
old codger
Thanks for the reference.
Here is the worrying part, slave drive:
Acute labour shortage in Lanka; 200,000 foreigners working here
Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)30 Apr 2017By Kasun Warkapitiya
Excerpt:
A Sunday Times team visited a construction site where 250 Indian (Tamil Nadu) workers are employed. The team found the workers were putting up with tough working conditions, including 12 hour shifts daily.
“We work from 7.30am to 7.30 pm and are provided transport back to our lodgings,” an Indian worker said.
An Indian labourer is paid Rs 60,000 (25,253 Indian rupees) for a month and they have to find their own meals, though accommodation is provided.
The workers at the site said they worked all seven days including Sundays and were not granted leave.
“Even after we work all day, we prepare meals for ourselves. Otherwise, the money we earn will be spent on food which is expensive in Sri Lanka,” one worker said.
The workers said the construction company here paid them more than the money they earned in India but to earn that they have to put up with a life which has little or no leisure or entertainment.
old codger
Why cannot the lazy smart ass patriots find unemployed youth to work in these projects? These cheap, dirty, difficult, menial jobs are not suitable for them. Are they all awaiting to be appointed as Central Bank Governors, Chair persons of various government run institution, … ?
Another chance for stupid Sinhala/Buddhists to blame others for taking over all their jobs.
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old codger / May 13, 2017
NV,
“The workers at the site said they worked all seven days including Sundays and were not granted leave. “Even after we work all day, we prepare meals for ourselves. Otherwise, the money we earn will be spent on food which is expensive”
This sounds uncannily like what Sri Lankan workers in the Gulf say.
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The Professional / May 14, 2017
“Why cannot the lazy smart ass patriots find unemployed youth to work in these projects? These cheap, dirty, difficult, menial jobs are not suitable for them. Are they all awaiting to be appointed as Central Bank Governors, Chair persons of various government run institution, … ?”
National Construction Association, the umbrella organization of Construction Contractors says that nearly a million could be absorbed by the industry.
In the construction industry the bosses are the Contractors, who get construction contracts. They employ Labour Contractors, Manufacturers, Suppliers and Installers. All of them do not have permanent labour forces and hire labour on project basis. Those who work under these sub-Contractors do not get EPF, ETF or any other Employment Benefits and when they retire, they have no benefits or savings.
Neither the Policy Makers nor the Policy Planners in Construction Industry have paid any attention to this aspect. The end result is we have 1.3 million 3-wheeler drivers and 800,000 security guards.
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Native Vedda / May 14, 2017
The Professional
“All of them do not have permanent labour forces and hire labour on project basis. Those who work under these sub-Contractors do not get EPF, ETF or any other Employment Benefits and when they retire, they have no benefits or savings.”
You are giving me excuses in a way supporting the lazy work shy unemployed/unemployable lot.
One of my friend old codger building contractor by profession has been going on and on about skilled labour shortage in his trade over 20 years.
He expects the state to formulate a comprehensive holistic apprenticeship policy.
I know the state has a policy of working against progress, development, innovation, creativity, ….. The trade has to work despite the state being the obstacle.
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The Professional / May 14, 2017
NV,
lakbima.lk has a more informative article.
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Native Vedda / May 14, 2017
The Professional
“lakbima.lk has a more informative article.”
Please let me have the link.
I see only Modi photo opportunities,skeletal remains at Shangri La hotel complex in Colombo Galle Face, more murder myteries,…
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Dim _Sum / May 14, 2017
China’s Silk Route train to europe and South Africa overhead of SARC is running smoothly- in fact last X’mas it gave Theresa May at London a feel of what it is to ferry cargo cheaper, no carbon imprint, faster than sea and devoid of Somali piracy which is catching up with 4 bases (anglo/ american, Turkey, Saudi) The Silk route container train is run by China railways, Russian Railways, German Railways, Spanish Railways and they are streamlining the line to travel faster than bullet train.
SARC nations can quarrel and produce via polygamy and ultimately become cannibals because Trump is bound to shut the doors and keep his promise of removing the more than 800 bases which only protects the american billionaires but not the national security- he is befriending most dictators of the world to be like Roosevelt non interfering because UK and USA are collapsing and russia is the world’s largest producer of GM free grain this year.
tables are turning worldwide while Race and religion are still the incubators of wars at Ceylon SB and tamils are ekka walle pol passe hittan patch.
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The Professional / May 10, 2017
His tail is on fire.
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Arun / May 11, 2017
THE EPIC SAYS WHEN HANUMAN’S TAIL WAS ON FIRE THE DESTRUCTION IT MADE TO THEN RAVANA’S ISLAND
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SJ / May 12, 2017
If it is SL’s Hanuman, he should wreak havoc in Delhi.
Whoever’s Hanuman that WW is, the country has been set alight years ago.
Foreign interests are fishing in troubled waters and many are unwisely debating preferences.
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Native Vedda / May 12, 2017
SJ
“Foreign interests are fishing in troubled waters and many are unwisely debating preferences.”
If you don’t treat your family well strangers and neighbours are ever ready to grope your women folks.
Don’t blame the strangers and neighbours but yourself.
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Douglas / May 10, 2017
Wimal Weerawansa is wearing a “Green” or somewhat closer to that color. Any “Predictions”? OR does it depict already established but hidden from the public the truth of connectivity to Ranil? Do you remember the “Passport” case? Then came the “No Objection” from AG for granting bail. Please listen to the man who introduced Wimal to the crowd and invited him to address the crowd. According to him, Wimal was in remand custody for being a “Patriot”. What dumb a introduction.? Leave that aside, what a “Dumb” and an “Unintelligent” crowd that filled the Galle Face to listen to such a “PATRIOT”. Oh! Sri Lanka. What a “Meetotamulla Tragedy” brought back to Galle Face.
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Douglas / May 10, 2017
Sorry: I missed to point out to his hat, the color of which is “Green” or very much closer to Green.
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SJ / May 12, 2017
Douglas
I suspect a red filter has operated on the lens or in the processing.
WW had filtered out any trace of red from his politics at least a decade ago.
As for colours, blue and green had been interchangeable for a long while, but especially so since 2006; and the old parliamentary reds get died blue or green by choice.
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SJ / May 11, 2017
Wimal W, like Dayan J is blessed with the virtue that whatever he says on a subject, that is enough reason for a fair-minded person to support the other side.
The writer quotes: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”.
That applies to advocates of all Trojan horses as well.
Granting on long lease large tracts of land to the Chinese was a stupid idea which made it easy for others to claim a foothold.
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Native Vedda / May 11, 2017
SJ
“Granting on long lease large tracts of land to the Chinese was a stupid idea which made it easy for others to claim a foothold.”
Why not let the peacefully rising Middle Kingdom to annex the entire island in order to prevent others claiming a foothold.
Maoism should and will triumph Modism.
Every Sri Lankan should be distributed Mao’s red book and Mao cap with a red star attached to its front.
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Frank N. Stein / May 11, 2017
One of Sri Lanka’s drawbacks in recent years has been the extremely poor quality of Ministers in the Cabinet. While Cabinets from 1948 to 1977 generally boasted of first-class senior lawyers, administrators and so on the material today and in recent years is appalling. We have a GCE(OL)
man heading the Port – a vital capital-intensive Ministry. What he knows about local or international shipping can be written behind a postage stamp. Weerawansa, a junior vernacular journalist, at the head of the important Housing Ministry was an apology. A Security Guard was Speaker of the House. A VVIP Cabinet was hand in glove with a Pakistani drug-trafficker – in the books of Interpol.
Square pegs in round holes galore, if you ask me. No wonder Sri Lanka is in ruins economically and politically. The fate of the SL Rupee is so devalued a 5-star hotel advertises one of its Restaurant charging
Rs.30,000 for a (Greek) meal for a single person??? That is Rs.120,000 for 4 – without Liquor. Amma Soru!!!
Frank N. Stein
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Analyst / May 11, 2017
How about worthless second hand cars?? They’re gold dust in ApeAanduwe, the same Old aged bangers will be worthless in other countries. Those bangers are only good for knacker’s yard for melting.
The country is made up of Modayas and Super Super Crooks!!
Those who are straight and narrow have no place in the Modaya Land.
While on the subject who gave orders to use Srilankan Port to give passage way to a ship loaded with ILLEGAL DRUGS TRMADOL ON ROUTE TO ISIS SOLDIERS???
Which Minister ? Deputy or his Coolies doing this clandestine business.
No wonder the Foreign Crooks have found a base in Ape Aanduwe the Buddha land.
Chicke!!! What about the Hamuudruwe ??
Why are they silent in these matters??
THEY WAKE up from their SLUMBERLAND AND TALK HOW TO KILL THE MINORITIES AND BURN THEIR WORSHIPPING PLACES,
DISGUSTING !!!
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Chedi / May 11, 2017
The present “Govt” is woefully inadequate and dysfunctional in countering such vile, dishonest and cheap accusations from the likes of WW. This research and expose from the author of this post is absolutely amazing and exposes Wimal Weerawansa for the fraud he is. This is something our “Media” should have unearthed and confronted him with..
Real Investigative Journalism is no more in SL.
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jansee / May 12, 2017
Arun:
That was a good take on Weerawansa but am I surprised? And is it fair or right to heap the blame on him either. Here is a guy who is, in plain sight, a rogue but have a following that defies logic. The one irresistible conclusion is either the people are so dumb or they too are of as a make as him. Either way, the SL society is donkey’s world, I mean literally. Was there even a pause for them to use a little bit of their grey matter? Then why blame Weerawansa?
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Upali / May 12, 2017
The JO bankrupt politicians are now like the proverbial person drowning clinging on to a piece if straw. [Piduru]. From smashing coconuts they have shifted to kalu kodi which Gammanpila commenced and failed and now W Weerawansa has taken over which immediately back fired on his face and could not go the distance Gammanpila went.JO has now come down to two Wesak poyas to bring down the govt. that is before may 2018 when the govt. will be 3 years in office having failed to topple in 3 months 6 months one and two years. Millions thronged to Colombo to see Wesak decorations compared to 250000 for May day rallies in Colombo. This was spontaneous without Arrack and transport. Alas there is no one to comment on Wesak crowds.
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SJ / May 13, 2017
jansee
I am sure that all of us stupid people here are grateful to you for your compliments.
You know better and have escaped to some sane place.
Why should wise ones like you waste time on poor us who cannot think?
Let us ruin ourselves without your assistance.
Spare us the joy of having done it ourselves.
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