Bridge, tunnel to connect with Sri Lanka: Gadkari

New Delhi, Dec 16  Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday that India will build a bridge as well as a tunnel under the sea in Palk Strait to connect to Sri Lanka.

A pact has been inked with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal for the seamless flow of traffic and passenger vehicles, he added.

The 23-km long bridge over the Palk Strait is proposed to be built between Dhanushkodi in mainland India and Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. A proposal has been submitted to the Asian Development Bank in June 2015 on the project.

"The Asian Development Bank is ready to fully finance a bridge project to connect Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadi to Sri Lanka. The India-Sri Lanka connectivity project's cost is pegged at about Rs.24,000 crore," the Road Transport and Highways Minister said in a statement in the Lok Sabha.