85% of loans spent for North-Basil

14 May 2013 03:04 pm

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that 85 percent of foreign loans to the country were spent on developing the North and resettling people displaced by the war.

Minister Rajapaksa was addressing the crowd which attended the opening of the first stage of the 106 km Medawachchiya-Talaimannar railway line at the Madhu Road railway station.

With the completion of the first stage of 43 km of railway track trains can now reach Madhu from Medawachchiya. Reconstruction of the line began on March 27, 2011 after LTTE terrorism caused the train service to stop in 1991.

The second stage of 63 km will be completed within the next four months and is scheduled to be opened on September 23. (The British colonial government introduced railways to Sri Lanka in 1867).

Following the reconstruction of the line up to Madhu, the first train left Anuradhapura at 9.48 a.m. today and reached the Madhu Road station at 10.48 a.m. via Medawachchiya, passing the Periyakulam and Wedtikulam stations.