Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha yesterday said that the multi-modal pipeline project connecting India and Sri Lanka is aimed at ensuring energy security in Sri Lanka at low cost, while developing Trincomalee as an energy hub.
He said that discussions are continuing for cooperation for a multi-product pipeline with the involvement of UAE for reliable and affordable power supply and this project will ensure the fully utilisation of the Trincomalee Tank Farm.
The High Commissioner, during an interaction with a group of journalists at the Indian High Commission yesterday, said that these tanks have not been fully utilised for decades and a considerable investment is needed to renovate them.
“There are three types of tanks in the farm. Some tanks are used by the Lanka IOC and others by Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the rest need to be developed through a joint venture between the LIOC and the CPC,” he said.
He said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Sri Lanka this year on an invitation extended by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake
“The Prime Minister has accepted the invitation. We are in the process of working out a propitious time for the visit,” the High Commissioner added.
High Commissioner Jha said that India should be the principal development partner for Sri Lanka given the value proposition of India grants.
He added that India’s grant assistance to Sri Lanka stands at US$ 780 million. Completed projects are worth US$ 390 million, ongoing projects are approximately US$ 211 million, and committed grant projects in the pipeline stand at nearly US$ 180 million.
He added that the total new assistance is US$ 391 million.
High Commissioner Jha said that installing the signaling system on the railway line between Maho and Anuradhapura costing US$ 14.9 million was earlier envisioned under Indian loan assistance. However this project was converted to a grant to ease the debt burden of Sri Lanka.
The High Commissioner said that President Dissanayake has given an assurance that Sri Lankan soil or its territorial waters will not be used for any activity detrimental to the security of India.
“The President had made this assurance publicly and it was discussed during his meeting with Prime Minister Modi and India has confidence in him,” Jha said.
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