India has formally handed over another consignment of Bailey bridges weighing more than 250 metric tonnes to Sri Lanka, Hiru News reported.
The transfer took place on Thursday under the $450 million reconstruction assistance package India extended to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah.
The consignment was handed over by India’s Deputy High Commissioner, Maitrey K, to Upali Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister of Co-operative Development, according to the High Commission of India in Colombo, whose statement was carried by the news agency ANI.
Installed by Indian Army engineers
The bridges will be installed across the island by an Indian Army engineering task force, at locations identified by the Road Development Authority and the relevant Provincial Road Development Authorities.
Bailey bridges are prefabricated modular steel spans that can be assembled quickly without heavy plant, which has made them the standard response where cyclone damage severed road links and permanent replacement structures remain years away.
Part of a larger package
The delivery is a further instalment rather than a new agreement. India announced the $450 million reconstruction and rehabilitation package in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, and bridging has been one of its more visible components: a consignment of 10 Bailey bridges was handed over in February, and Indian Army engineers have built several spans in cyclone-affected districts since.
The handover comes days after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri concluded an official visit to Colombo, and follows the separate $350 million credit line extended for Ditwah reconstruction. India had earlier committed to expediting disbursement under the $450 million package.
