The much awaited elevated highway from the Kelani Bridge to Rajagiriya, hit a road bump yesterday, when the original applicants who qualified through the Expression of Interest process early this year, were told that they will have to submit a new Expression of Interest.
Advisor to the Prime Minister, R. Paskaralingam told the original applicants, at a meeting at the Randoli auditorium of the Ministry of Finance, last morning, that the government wants to ‘simplify’ the requirements for this project as the earlier stringent requirements may have prevented other applicants from taking an interest in this prestigious project.
When the original EOI closed on December 8, last year, 23 companies including three applications from the China State Construction Harbour Construction Company, two from the Metallurgical Corporation of China, one joint venture application from Sri Lanka’s MTD Walker and Italy’s Vinci Highways and India’s Larsen and Toubro were among the applicants. At a meeting at the RDA head office in Battaramulla in February this year, Dr. Rajan Sara, an advisor to the Ministry of Finance, who heads the advisory committee for this project, was to comment that all 23 applicants had qualified and thanked them for their participation.
At this meeting, sources claimed the RDA said that the Request for Proposal (RFP) stage will be opened in the first week of April and the complete
feasibility study on which the financial bids would be based on, will be also be released during that week.
It was clearly indicated that there would be no gap, bridge, or any other financing from the government and that the applicants would have to obtain all the financing needed for the project to be carried out on a build-own-transfer (BOT) basis.
According to an investor who was present at yesterday’s meeting, Dr. Rajan Sara had indicated that the situation is now different and there may be a gap financing available.
RDA Project Director M.T.L. Ferenando told the Sunday Observer, that the new timeline for the EOI would be the first week of July with the bidding expected to close mid-August and construction work to begin in early next year.
Dr. Rajan Sara, when contacted by the Sunday Obsever, refrained from commenting, saying that the line ministry should be the authority to make a statement on the matter, and not him.