• Approximately 10% of people who lost land still awaiting compensation
• Compensation for Section I and III ongoing for years, hit by economic crisis
• Project now on, compensation for Section III nearing completion: Hettiarachchi

Despite nearly a decade having passed since the Road Development Authority (RDA) began acquiring land for the long-delayed Central Expressway Project (CEP), approximately 10% of those who lost their land for the project are still awaiting compensation from the Government.

The Sunday Morning learns that compensation payments for CEP Sections I to III have been ongoing for years. However, due to the prevailing economic crisis, the RDA has been unable to complete the project. Additionally, land acquisition for Section IV of the CEP has been stalled for years, as no investors have shown interest in taking over the project.

Thousands of people who lost their land have been waiting for compensation for the past 10 years. The Sunday Morning learns that residents from Pothuhera, whose land was acquired for Section III, and those from Omaragolla, Melsiripura, Ibbagamuwa, and several other areas affected by Section IV of the CEP are still awaiting payment.

Section III of the CEP involves three districts, with the largest portion of land (42%) located in the Kurunegala District, followed by 34% in the Kegalle District, and the remaining 23% in the Kandy District. The expressway crosses two Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSDs) in Kurunegala-Polgahawela and Mawathagama. In Kegalle, it intersects with the Rambukkana DSD, and in Kandy, it crosses the Thumpane DSD.

The CEP is a key component of the Government’s transport network upgrade, designed to eventually connect Colombo to Jaffna in two phases. Phase 1 focuses on connecting the existing highway network in Kadawatha to Dambulla and Kandy through four sections: Kadawatha to Meerigama (Section I), Meerigama to Kurunegala (Section II), Pothuhera to Galagedara-Kandy (Section III), and Kurunegala to Dambulla (Section IV). Additionally, a link road from Ambepussa to Meerigama is part of Section II.

Section III begins in Hiripathwella in Polgahawela and ends at Palu Kopiwatta in Tumpane (Galagedara). Section IV starts in Theliyagonna in Kurunegala and traverses several DSDs before ending at Mirisgoniya Junction in Dambulla.

Phase 2 of the project will extend the expressway to Jaffna and Trincomalee.

The RDA has estimated the construction cost for the Rambukkana to Galagedara stretch of Section III of the CEP at approximately Rs. 120 billion.

Project progress 

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, CEP Section III Project Director Engineer A. Hettiarachchi provided updates on the project’s progress: “Around 90% of the compensation pending for CEP Section III has already been completed.” He acknowledged that there had been delays since 2022 due to financial complications, specifically the Treasury’s failure to release funds. However, he assured that “the projects are now on,” with the compensation process nearing completion.

Eng. Hettiarachchi also said that the land acquisition for Section IV had been halted, signalling potential delays for the upcoming phases of the expressway. Despite this, ongoing efforts indicate that work on the current sections continues.

Regarding international investments, Eng. Hettiarachchi noted that Japan had shown initial interest. “Japanese investors visited the expressway, but after that, there was nothing from them or any other investor,” he explained, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding further financial backing from foreign sources.

Resettlement Action Plan

The Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for Stage 3 of the CEP has been prepared in compliance with the National Involuntary Resettlement Policy (NIRP), the Environmental and Social Safeguards Manual of the RDA, and other relevant statutory requirements of Sri Lanka. The RAP outlines the extent of land acquisition required for this stage of the project, revealing the significant impact on both private and public lands.

According to the RAP, a total of 3,497 lots of land will be affected by the construction of the expressway from Pothuhera to Galagedara. Among these, 2,886 are privately owned, comprising 1,654 households. The total extent of these privately-owned lands amounts to 99,636 perches. 

In addition to private lands, 463 Government-owned lots, covering 6,466 perches, will also be impacted. Furthermore, 35 lots of land identified as common property, totalling 1,873 perches, will be affected. Altogether, the project will affect 107,975 perches, equivalent to 674.8 acres.

The RAP highlights that the most significant impact of land acquisition in CEP Stage 3 will be on private land plots, which account for 92.3% of the total land to be acquired, representing 99,636.34 perches. Government land and common/public lands comprise 7.7% of the total. 

Within the private land category, 65% of the land is agricultural, 29% is residential, and a small fraction is used for trade and business purposes. Additionally, 4% of the private lands is classified as barren, indicating low levels of land utilisation in the affected DSDs.

Compensation for resettlement will be governed by the Land Acquisition Act of Sri Lanka, alongside the provisions outlined in the Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 1864/54 of 30 May 2014 issued by the Minister of Land and Land Development. This notification, approved by Parliament on 18 February 2014 and included under the Northern Expressway Project, establishes the framework for compensation payments under the Land Acquisition Act Chapter 460. 

Cabinet Paper 14/0833/533/008 further reinforces this framework, ensuring that compensation aligns with legal and procedural standards.

The RAP estimates that the total cost of land acquisition and resettlement for Stage 3 of the CEP will be Rs. 12.87 billion, equivalent to approximately $ 83 million. This cost estimate is based on the corridor examined during the data collection process for Stage 3. The RDA has indicated that this estimate may be reduced once the final Right of Way (ROW) is established, taking into account all technical considerations.

When contacted by The Sunday Morning, Transport Ministry Secretary and RDA Chairman Ranjith Rubasinghe said that he was not updated on the issue of compensation and requested the newspaper to reach out to him on the following day. However, subsequent attempts to contact Rubasinghe were unsuccessful.