India on Saturday dispatched to Colombo a consignment of 10 Bailey bridges to help restore critical connectivity in areas severely affected by Cyclone Ditwah.
“India continues to stand with Sri Lanka to support reconstruction efforts after Cyclone Ditwah. To assist restoration of critical connectivity, a consignment of 10 Bailey bridges was dispatched today from Visakhapatnam to Colombo aboard INS Gharial,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on X.
According to the MEA, the supply of bridges is part of India’s Special Economic Package of USD 450 million announced during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, following India’s emergency HADR support through Operation SagarBandhu.
Last week, a 120-foot Bailey bridge on the B-492 Kandy–Ragala Road was jointly inaugurated by Satyanjal Pandey, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, and Manjula Suraweera Arachchi, Member of Parliament, as part of India’s Post-Ditwah Reconstruction Assistance. The bridge restored a vital road link and strengthened connectivity for local communities. It re-established an important transport corridor for passenger movement, the supply of essential goods and the revival of local economic activity.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo said this is the second Bailey bridge on the Kandy–Ragala road built under India’s USD 450 million Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Assistance to Sri Lanka. It follows the inauguration of a 100-foot Bailey bridge at KM-21 on January 10, 2026, which was jointly opened by the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena, and Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Madhura Senevirathna.
The project is part of India’s reconstruction and rehabilitation assistance after Cyclone Ditwah, which caused severe disruptions to connectivity through landslides and the collapse of existing bridges. The newly commissioned Bailey bridges have significantly improved access and mobility for communities in the affected hilly areas. The restoration efforts are being carried out in close coordination with the Sri Lankan Army and the Road Development Authority (RDA), the High Commission said.
In the next phase, additional Bailey bridges will be constructed over the coming weeks to ensure comprehensive restoration of connectivity across all affected areas, it added.
(IANS)
