Despite Rs. 5 Billion annual profit, Expressway Debt might last 160 Years – Bandula

Southern Expressway in Sri Lanka

Despite making Rs. 5 billion in profit yearly from expressways in Sri Lanka, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said it might take 160 years to pay off the Rs. 800 billion loan used to build them.

Minister Gunawardana said even if someone lived 80 years, they couldn’t pay the debt.

Even if someone lived multiple lifetimes and worked all the time, the debt would still be there.

To avoid financial collapse, Gunawardana said we must follow rules from the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Asian Development Bank (ADB). Not following could lead to ruin.

To handle the debt, the minister suggested giving the expressway system and its assets to the government’s Sahasya Investment Company.

He believes this is necessary to prevent innocent people from bearing the burden for the rest of their lives.