Indian Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan to Sri Lanka tomorrow (18th) - A special traffic plan

The two-day official visit of Indian Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, which the Indian High Commission describes as the first bilateral visit by an Indian Vice President to Sri Lanka, is scheduled to commence tomorrow (19).

The Indian High Commission states that this visit is considered an extension of recent high-level diplomatic engagements between the two countries and will further strengthen the millennia-old historical ties between the people of India and Sri Lanka.

During his visit, the Indian Vice President is scheduled to hold special discussions with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, as well as political and Indian community leaders. Additionally, he plans to undertake an inspection visit to a hospital in the Northern Province during his stay in the country.

Coinciding with this official visit, the Sri Lanka Police has taken steps to implement a special traffic plan in Colombo city and its suburbs on the 19th and 20th. Accordingly, the Vice President, arriving in the island from Katunayake International Airport, will travel via the expressway to Orugodawatta, Borella, Horton Place, Liberty Roundabout, and Galle Road to the Taj Samudra Hotel. The police announce that traffic movement on these roads will be restricted as necessary when the VIP motorcade is in transit.

Subsequently, the VIP motorcade is planned to travel from the Taj Samudra Hotel to the Presidential Secretariat, Temple Trees, and the Kathiresan Kovil. Concluding his visit, the Indian Vice President is scheduled to depart the island on the 20th, traveling from the Taj Samudra Hotel to the Colombo Port Helipad.

The police advise the public to use alternative routes to minimize traffic congestion caused by VIP movements. Accordingly, vehicles coming from Kandy Road will be diverted towards Panchikawatta or Maradana via Kelani Bridge and Armour Street, while vehicles from Galle Road will be diverted towards Kompannaweediya from Kollupitiya or Galle Face. Vehicles exiting Colombo can use R.A. De Mel Mawatha via Regal Roundabout and Kompannaweediya, and vehicles heading towards Avissawella and Negombo can travel via Thotalanga and Biyagama Road. Furthermore, the police emphasize that the entry of containers, tippers, and lorries into the relevant roads is completely prohibited two hours before the VIP motorcade commences its journey.