Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena said that a new economic center focusing on imports and exports will be constructed in the Mihintale area to give strength to the main economic hub in Colombo. Minister Gunawardena said the new economic center will be constructed to face the situation where the main economic hub of Colombo becomes inactive in the event of an emergency. A system of distribution of local products and imported goods to 3 provinces and 10 districts will be established using the transport facility of the Anuradhapura-Mihintale railway line which has not been utilized for a long time, the Minister said.
He said that if the economic center in Colombo becomes inactive in the event of a natural disaster or any other problem, it would be possible to work through the economic center thus established. The Minister said plans are afoot seeking sites to construct similar economic centers islandwide covering all provinces. He said the government wants to create a major commercial city like Colombo enabling the farming community in these provinces to create a market where they can sell their produce without intermediaries.