Tribune News Service.New Delhi, December 16

India is to build a sea bridge and tunnel connecting Sri Lanka and it has signed a pact with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal for the seamless flow of traffic and passenger vehicles in the region, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said here today.Making a suo-moto statement in the Lok Sabha, Gadkari said, “The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is ready to fully finance a bridge-building project connecting Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka. The project was also discussed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his counterpart during the latter’s recent visit.”Gadkari said the India-Sri Lanka connectivity project cost was pegged at about Rs 24,000 crore. The minister said, “Subsequent to PM Modi’s announcement of the ‘Act East’ policy, India proactively engaged in building effective and credible links between South Asia and Southeast Asia through an enhanced regional connectivity.”