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Uthuru Mituru Programme Set to Reconstruct Northern Railway

THE reconstruction of the damaged railway stations beyond Vavuniya has been undertaken by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several other ministers under the government’s ‘Uthuru Mituru’ programme on a request by Transport Minister Dulles Alahapperuma, Commercial Manager of the Sri Lanka Railways (SLR), Vijaya Samarasingha said.

The railway track and all 30 stations beyond Vavuniya upto KKS had been totally damaged and the track was not in use for the past 25 years. The SLR had estimated that Rs. 14 billion is needed to run a train up to KKS from Vavuniya, he said.The SLR had already reconstructed the railway track up to Thandikulam, the next station to the north from Vavuniya. The ‘Yaldevi’ express train ran to Thandikulam last Saturday after 20 years.

“We have to rebuild the railway track up to KKS from Vavuniya that stretches 100 kilometres and 30 stations, which is not an easy task. At some places the railway track cannot be traced due to neglect and damaged caused,” Samarasingha said.

“President Rajapaksa has undertaken to re-construct Jaffna main railway station that had been totally damaged. Ministers Nimal Siripala De Silva, Susil Premajayantha, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, T. B. Ekanayaka, Kumar Welgama and Ven. Valamitiyawe Kusaladhamma Thera have also come forward to rebuild stations on the damaged line,” he said. (Courtesy: Daily Mirror)