New Delhi - India and Sri Lanka had agreed to examine the viability for developing land access to the ports of Trincomalee and Colombo during Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to Delhi last July. Following this, the external affairs ministry (MEA) had held a meeting with other ministries and government agencies on this issue. Sources said the MEA officials had informed the meeting about its plan to carry out the feasibility study for the bridge before preparing a detailed plan.

“A host of issues pertaining to other sectors including dairy, oil, power and shipping which came up during Wickremesinghe’s visit were also discussed at the meeting. The long sea bridge would require huge funds, but it will prove to be a boon for bilateral trade. But for that, the government has to evaluate technical, economic, and environmental aspects to see whether it’s viable,” a source said.

The need for this sea bridge has been part of discussions for more than a decade. In December 2015, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari had spoken about the plan to build a road-cum rail bridge following his meeting with Wickremesinghe.