India is likely to commence high-level dialogue with Sri Lanka by October for an ambitious US$5.2bn road project following talks between Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last week.

Secretary-level talks between India and Sri Lanka have been scheduled by October to take forward the project involving construction of a sea bridge and under-water tunnel linking 22-km stretch between Talaimannar, Sri Lanka and Dhanushkodi, India, according to a business newspaper.

ADB has already shown interest to finance the project, the daily said adding that the multilateral bank has already agreed to finance infrastructure projects worth US$8bn under the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement.

India wants Sri Lanka to join the BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement, which was signed in June during Gadkari's visit to Bhutan.

Work on the US$8bn road connectivity projects under BBIN is likely to be completed within two years, the paper reports.

(India Infoline News Service)