Sri Lanka’s northern projects must survive politics to ensure balanced recovery: Report

A new report warns that Sri Lanka’s KKS Port and Jaffna Airport projects must remain insulated from political changes. Supported by India’s $61 million grant, the projects are key to ensuring balanced post-crisis recovery and northern regional development

New Delhi: Projects such as Kankesanthurai (KKS) Port and Jaffna Airport expansion cannot afford to be caught in political transitions, as their timely completion will determine how evenly Sri Lanka’s post-crisis recovery is distributed across all provinces, according to a new report.

Recent changes in logistics portfolios of Sri Lanka’s Cabinet could accelerate essential northern infrastructure projects, but they may also jeopardise progress if policy continuity is not ensured, the report from Jaffna Post hinted.

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Bimal Rathnayake has been appointed Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, while Anura Karunathilaka has taken on the role of Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation — in a reshuffle intended to expedite state development targets ahead of the upcoming national budget, the report opined.

The report outlined the transformative potential of KKS Port and the Jaffna Airport expansion for the Northern Province. Feasibility studies, supported by India’s $61 million grant, project monthly cargo volumes of 2,000–5,000 tonnes.

Current passenger traffic on the Nagapattinam–KKS ferry ranges from 1,200 to 2,000 travellers per month and could exceed 5,000 once daily services resume, according to the report.

The Northern Province, and particularly Jaffna, remains one of Sri Lanka’s least integrated economic regions. A fully functional KKS Port can link northern producers in fisheries, agriculture, dairy, and Palmyra-based industries to markets across the Palk Strait and beyond.

An upgraded airport will also serve as a key transit point between South Asia and the Middle East. Once operational, it will attract international carriers, facilitate tourism, and open new trade corridors for perishable exports, particularly seafood, dairy, and fresh produce, to quickly reach India.

Further, upgrading Jaffna Airport could reduce travel time between Colombo and Jaffna from nearly ten hours by road to about one hour by air. Through completion of these projects, the government can open a northern economic corridor that complements Colombo’s dominance and ensures balanced development, the report noted.