# Ministry of Highways, Ports & Shipping

The Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping was a Sri Lankan government ministry responsible for the governance, implementation, creation and development of Ports including Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee ports, Highways including Southern expressway, Colombo Outer Circular expressway, Katunayake expressway and their transport services. It was reorganized as two separate ministries, the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and Ministry of Higher Education and Highways following the formation of the Sirisena cabinet in January 2015.

## History

It was created in 1960, at the Second Dudley Senanayake cabinet as the Ministry of Nationalised Services, Shipping & Transport. It included most of the subjects of the current ministry. Then it was renamed as the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Food & Shipping at the First Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet. The highways section was included in the Ministry of Irrigation, Power & Highways in both, Second Sirimavo Bandaranaike cabinet and Jayewardene cabinet. In the Jayewardene Cabinet, the shipping section was included in the Ministry of Shipping, Aviation & Tourism. In the Premadasa cabinet, the ports and shipping sections were included in the Ministry of Ports & Shipping and the Ministry of Trade & Shipping and the highways section was included in the Ministry of Transport & Highways. In the Kumaratunge cabinet (2000) the ports section was included in the Ministry of Ports Development & Development of the South, the highways section was included in the Ministry of Highways, the shipping section was included in the Ministry of Internal & International Trade Commerce, Muslim Religious Affairs & Shipping Development. The highways section and to some extent the shipping section was included in Ministry of Transport, Highways & Aviation of Ranil Wickramasinghe cabinet. The highways section was included in the Ministry of Highways & Road Development and the ports and shipping sections were included in the Ministry of Ports & Aviation in the First Mahinda Rajapaksha cabinet.
The name "Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping" was created in Second Mahinda Rajapaksha cabinet in 2010.

## Officials

* Minister of Ports and Highways (Cabinet)— the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksha.
* Project Minister of Ports and Highways — Nirmala Kotalawala MP
* Project Minister of Ports and Highways — Rohitha AbeygunawardenaMP
* Permanent Secretary — R.W.R.Pemasiri.

### Current and past ministers
#### Parties

Sri Lanka Freedom Party  United National Party  Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
| Name | Party | Tenure | Head(s) of Government | Ministerial title |
| Montague Jayawickrama | United National Party | 23 March 1960 - 1960 July | Dudley Senanayake | Minister of Nationalised Services, Shipping & Transport |
| T. B. Ilangaratne | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 23 July 1960 - 1965 | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Commerce, Trade, Food & Shipping |
| Maithripala Senanayake | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 31 May 1970 - 1977 | Sirimavo Bandaranaike | Minister of Irrigation, Power & Highways |
| Gamini Dissanayake | United National Party | 23 July 1977 - 2 January 1989 | Junius Richard Jayewardene | Minister of Irrigation, Power & Highways |
| Wimala Kannangara | United National Party | 23 July 1977 - 2 January 1989 | Junius Richard Jayewardene | Minister of Shipping, Aviation & Tourism |
| Alick Aluvihare | United National Party | 14 March 1991 - 1 May 1993 | Ranasinghe Premadasa | Minister of Ports & Shipping |
| Rupasena Karunatilake | United National Party | | Ranasinghe Premadasa | Minister of Ports & Shipping |
| Abdul Razak Munsoor | United National Party | 18 February 1989 - May 1993 | Ranasinghe Premadasa | Minister of Trade & Shipping |
| Wijayapala Mendis | United National Party | 1989 - 1993 | Ranasinghe Premadasa | Minister of Transport & Highways |
| Ronnie de Mel | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 18 October 2000 - 10 October 2001 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Ports Development & Development of the South |
| A. H. M.Fowzie | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 18 October 2000 - 10 October 2001 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Highways |
| Rauff Hakeem | Sri Lanka Muslim Congress | 18 October 2000 - 10 October 2001 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Internal & International Trade Commerce, Muslim Religious Affairs & Shipping Development |
| Gamini Athukorala | United National Party | 19 December 2001 - 31 December 2001 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Transport, Highways & Aviation |
| | United National Party | 1 January 2002 - 7 February 2004 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Transport, Highways & Aviation |
| Mahinda Rajapaksa | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 22 April 2004 - 19 November 2005 | Chandrika Kumaratunga | Minister of Highways |
| Jeyaraj Fernandopulle | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 22 April 2004 - 6 April 2008 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Highways & Road Development |
| Mangala Samaraweera | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 22 April 2004 - 9 February 2007 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Ports & Aviation Services |
| Mahinda Rajapaksa | Sri Lanka Freedom Party | 23 April 2010 – 9 January 2015 | Mahinda Rajapaksa | Minister of Highways, Ports & Shipping |
| Kabir Hashim | United National Party | 12 January 2015 – 22 November 2019 | Maithripala Sirisena | Minister of Highways and Investment Promotion |

## Duties and Functions

* Formulation of policies programmes and projects in regard to the subjects of Ports, Highways and Expressways and all subjects that come under the purview of the ministry.
* Direction of the implementation of such policies, programmes and projects within time lines agreed with the national planning authorities and within budgeted resources, with a view to achieving relevant objectives.
* Provision of all public services that come under the purview of the Ministry in an efficient and people friendly manner.
* Reforming of all systems and procedures to ensure the conduct of business in an efficient manner deploying modern management techniques and technology where applicable while eliminating corruption and waste
* Provision and Maintenance in optimum condition of a high quality network of national highways and other principal road
* Implementation of the Maga Neguma Rural Road Development Programme
* Improvement of clear co-ordination process to cover all road project implementing agencies for an integration development and monitoring collection of road user charges in respect of National Policy
* Formulation of Programmes and Projects based on National Policy in respect of Provincial and Local Authority roads and co-ordination and monitoring of such programs and projects
* Road Development activities connected to Kottawa, Kaduwela and Kadawatha Township Development Project
* Development and Administration of ports and harbours, light houses and beacons, oil installation other than those belong to Admiralty
* Arbitration of disputes between shipping Service providers and users
* Establish rules of competition for shipping Services
* Assist and ensure consultation between shipping service providers and users
* Receiving of Wrecks and Ocean salvages
* Administration of Shipping Development Fund
* Freight and shipping Services
* Coastwise passenger traffic

## Departments

Departments, with their heads As of 2014:
* Road Development Authority and its Subsidiaries and Associates, headed by Director General, W.A.S. Weerasinghe
* Road Development Fund
* Sri Lanka Ports Authority and its Subsidiaries and Associates, headed by chairman, Priyath B. Wickrama
* Ceylon Shipping Corporation Ltd and its Subsidiaries and Associates, headed by chairman, Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage
* Director General's Office of Merchant Shipping, headed by Director General, A W Seneviratne