India’s central government is to consider building a road and rail link across the Palk Strait to North-East Sri Lanka, reports DNAIndia.
India’s road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, said that a proposal for bridging the divide across the Palk Strait had been submitted to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), for a pre-feasibility study and subsequent financing.
“The distance between Dhanushkodi in Rameswaram and the Sri Lankan boundary is about 23 kilometers. A sea-bridge would help in increasing the trans-SAARC road and transport network.”
The Indian government previously expressed its desire to open up transport links to the North-East of the island.
The Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka, previously passed a resolution calling for the establishment of transport links between the North-East of the island and India.India ‘keen’ to restart ferry service between Tamil Nadu and North-East (11 Mar 2015)