Billionaire Gautam Adani arrives; scheduled to meet President

• The billionaire  businessman was accompanied by a delegation of 10 members

By T.K.G. Kapila

 Billionaire Indian industrialist Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday night, a senior official said. The billionaire businessman accompanied by a delegation of 10 members flew into the island by two special flights. 

 Gautam Adani is the Chairman of the Adani Group, which was chosen to develop a major port terminal in Sri Lanka, was scheduled to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday.

 Meanwhile, Indian media The Hindu reported “It is a private visit and Mr. Adani is expected to meet the President to discuss the West Container Terminal project.

 The source requested anonymity while confirming the “high-profile visit” that is said to include meetings with “top Sri Lankan dignitaries”.

 Mr. Adani’s visit comes less than a month after the Adani Group, in a virtual ceremony, signed a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement with its Sri Lankan partner in the project John Keells Holdings, and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), to jointly develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the Colombo Port.

 According to sources in India familiar with the development, Mr. Adani “is interested in projects related to ports, power and renewable energy” in Sri Lanka.