Feasibility study on proposal to establish land link with India in final stages, says Sri Lankan president ET EnergyWorld

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Sunday that a feasibility study on the proposal to establish a land link with India is in its final stages. Wickremesinghe, who was touring the northeastern district of Mannar to inspect development works in the region, said the preliminary work on the feasibility study was over and the final phase would be completed soon. This proposal and the prospect of connecting both nations to the power grid are likely to be discussed during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Lanka this week.

Wickremesinghe said the minister’s visit would also discuss a commercial venture to sell surplus renewable energy to India.

On Saturday, the Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Jaishankar would arrive in Colombo on June 20.

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However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has not officially announced Jaishankar’s visit.

If confirmed, this could be Jaishankar’s first official solo visit abroad after he was appointed India’s foreign minister in the new government earlier this month.

Officials confirmed that all Indian projects in Sri Lanka would be discussed during the visit, including the Adani group’s wind power project in Mannar and the establishment of an industrial zone in the eastern port district of Trincomalee.

Local media quoted Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda as saying that Sri Lanka will raise the controversial issue of illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters by Indian fisheries, including bottom trawling.

The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.

Fishermen from both countries are often arrested for inadvertently entering the other country’s waters.

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