Chief whips of govt and opposition go at each other over central expressway

By Saman Indrajith

Chief Whips of government and Opposition locked horns in Parliament yesterday, trading accusations of corruption, waste and impotence.

A heated argument ensused after Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella asked the government to open the Mirigama-Kurunegala stretch of the Central Expressway as vehicles could not move via Pahala Kadugannwa area, due to a road closure.

Chief Opposition Whip Kiriella: After the closure of Colombo-Kandy Road near Pahala Kadugannwa I made inquiries with engineers working at the Central Expressway. They told me that Mirigama-Kurunegala Section of the expressway could be opened. I urge the government to open it so that people inconvenienced by the closure of Colombo-Kandy road could use it. I asked a question from the Prime Minister January 2020 about this expressway. I table the response given by the Prime Minister. In it he said that this section would be opened in August 2020. It has not been done yet.

Chief Government Whip Highways Minister Johnston Fernando: I am very happy because you spoke to engineers and inquired about the progress. We intend to open this section of the expressway within this month. This could have been opened last year if it was not for the sabotage by some contractors who had been given the contract by your government. That company belongs to one of the ministers in the yahapalana government. Now, you and others in the opposition make various statements that you had almost completed the construction of the expressway except for two kilometers and we cannot even construct those two kilometers. You could not even repair and develop the roads in Kandy district. It is after I assumed duties that work has been started.

This expressway was started by laying the foundation stone when Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President. The yahapalana government of yours canceled the contract and gave it to a new contractor with additional one billion rupees. You gave the contract at a new rate of additional Rs 110,000 per km. So, do not ask us now of the progress. We have acted in a fair and transparent manner always. You should be in jail for what you did during that time. Your government did nothing but sling mud at us and lodged false complaints and cooked up evidence to put us in jails. That was what you did instead of developing the country. The roads you built did not have a starting point and an ending point. Remember that we will complete all the work we started. We will complete the expressway from Colombo to Kandy within two years. We will open this section.

Chief Opposition Whip Kiriella: We are ready to debate what you said. The COPE conducted an investigation on this expressway and reported that there had been no corruption. When we came to power in 2015 not a single inch of the expressway had been measured at least. While I was the minister of highways we surveyed and measured 20,000 plots of lands. We gave the contracts to local contractors. They had completed 90 percent of the work at the time we handed over the government. That is the truth. Even the Prime Minister has admitted to that. You mentioned that the contract had been given to a company belonging to a cabinet minister of our government. My question is whether you have not given contracts to the same company under your government?

Chief Government Whip Minister Fernando: I will reveal the way you gave contracts if you come for a debate. I will explain how you paid additional Rs 110,000 per kilometers. You should be ashamed. I do not know how you come to parliament without shame. Tell me what you did for five years in constructing the section from Kadawatha to Mirigama.

Chief Opposition Whip Kiriella: I am not a person who distill liquor or moonshine. We are ready to debate. We did not hurl Bibles and chairs in this House. You resort to derogate others when you cannot face an argument. I asked only for the opening of the road. Is it a problem for you to open the road?

Chief Government Whip Minister Fernando: I am a good Catholic. I am a person who have utmost respect for Buddhism too. Do not denigrate Catholicism. What you are referring to is not a Bible but another book. This House does not have Bibles here. You are a cheap politician.

Chief Opposition Whip Kiriella: None of those allegations you levelled in the report of the COPE that investigated this expressway project. Your allegations are baseless. I repeat that we do not distill liquor or moonshine. This government lost 800 million rupees in its first budget. That is the origin of all problems in the economy. You lost 800 million rupees by giving a VAT concession. When we took over as the Yahapalana government the government revenue was only one thousand million rupees.