About Us

Establishment of the physical environment which required to improve the Quality of the activities carried out by the Ministry of Highways in relation to the Development, Management and Maintenance of the Highways Network, Provision of Continuous and effective Service, Having proper Coordination with other institutions and maintain the same, and overall administration and supervision of the Highways sector are being done by the Administration Division.

Role of the Administration Division

• Provision of infrastructure for the Ministry in an efficient and effective way, obtaining services from the relevant institutions in respect of buildings, machinery and maintenance services.
• Take action on the letters sent to and received from the ministry daily and to ensure its effectiveness.
• Proper maintenance of the security activities and janitorial services in the Ministry.
• Settlement of bills related to the official telephones of officers in the Ministry.
• Maintain personal files of officers of the Ministry and officers attached from the Road Development Authority.
• Providing transportation facilities for the activities of the Ministry.
• Activities such as registration, maintenance, insurance, revenue licenses related to all vehicles of the Ministry and provision of fuel for all pool vehicles of the Ministry.
• Take necessary action on vehicle accidents and obtain insurance compensation for the relevant accident properly.
• Take actions on the issuance of passports, visas, travel allowances and allowances related to the foreign tours of officials of the Ministry and the Road Development Authority and obtaining permission for the relevant officers to travel outside the country.
• Take actions on leave, overtime and traveling expenses of the officers in the Ministry.
• Activities relating to the provision of distress Loans, Property Loans, and Motor bicycle Loans, Festival Advances to the officers in the Ministry and activities related to the claims from Agrahara Insurance scheme.
• Submission of Cabinet Memorandam submitted by the Ministry to the Cabinet of Ministers and notifies the relevant decisions to the parties concerned.
• Take appropriate actions in relation to the Parliamentary Questions, proposals of the Consultative Committees, Public petitions, Human Rights Violations and for the complaints, proposals and requests received from the Presidential Secretariat and various parties.
• Reservation of accommodation facilities for the Hon. Minister, State Minister, Secretary and staff officers of the Ministry in their official visits and settlement of bills.
• Issuance of Railway season tickets and railway warrants.
• Provision of advance payments, settlement of advance payments, entering in the registers and maintain the same for the staff officers and maintenance of the petty cash imprest for minor maintenance works and various petty cash payments.
• Approval of Uniform Allowance for Junior Staff, Settlement of Payments for Languages Translations, Approvals for Housing Rent, reimbursement and settlement of entertain expenses and various other expenses of the officers of the Ministry.
• Referring election circulars relevant to the Presidential, General election, Provincial council elections and Local Government elections to the relevant parties, Coordination of the postal voting with regard to the above elections and appointment of officers for election duties and settlement of payments for election duties.
• Maintenance of inventory books in the administrative division and requisition, receipt and distribution of stationery required to the division.
• Separate filing of circulars and orders received from the Ministry of Public Administration, the Ministry of Finance and Planning and other government institutions, update the same and maintenance.
• Translation works of Sinhala - English and English - Sinhala.
• Updating and maintaining of ministry website.
• Establishment activities including the approval of new appointments, extension of service, approval of leave on projects of the Road Development Authority which are under the purview of the Ministry.

Finance division is responsible, as a custodian for handling, controlling and monitoring the budget allocation of the highways sector of the Ministry of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development by the annual budget. Management of the allocation, imprest and expenditure efficiently and effectively to ensure maximum economic benefit to the government can be stated as one of the major functions of the division. It comprise coordination roll between all the projects come under the highways sector and Road Development Authority with the treasury and facilitating these projects and RDA to receive their imprest duly and subsequently.

Furthermore, the financial performance of each & every unit is closely monitored and reported by adhere to regulations stipulated in financial regulations and other governing rules. Finance division has been able to achieve the basic but important target of keeping the ministry level activities within the limits set by the annual budget.

Internal Audit Division has been established in this Ministry as per FR 133 which stipulates that Internal Audit Division should be established by the Chief Accounting Officer in his institution in order to perform the duties and responsibilities stated in FR 128.
The main objectives of this division are;

• Strengthening the internal control systems within the Ministry.
• Assist Chief Accounting Officer to ascertain the progress achieved in implementing development projects and schemes and fulfilling plans and programmes.
• Act as the coordinator among the persons involved in the development projects and Secretary of the Ministry of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development.

Role of the Division and progress achieved

• Ascertain whether the internal checking and control systems are successful in achieving the objectives.
• Ascertain the reliability of the accounts and other reports and evaluate the accounting procedures followed.
• Ascertain whether the required information is properly received through the accounting systems that followed.
• Evaluate the quality of the performance of the staff.
• Ascertain how safe the assets of the institution from all sort of damages.
• Ascertain whether the instructions given in the Establishment Code, the Financial Regulations, Public Administration and Treasury Circulars are properly followed.
• Ascertain the success of the internal control system used to avoid wastage of resources and the method to find out the same.
• Inspection of the accounting procedures and operations in the institution and ascertain whether the properties and assets are used in securely, properly frugality.
• Holding special investigations.

The Engineering Division bears all responsibilities of constructing highways within Sri Lanka on behalf of the Highway sector of Ministry of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development. Supervision of implemented projects, reviewing of progress and conducting technical audits in projects are solely carried out by the Engineering Division.
Functions & Duties of the Division

• Supervision of all the engineering tasks of constructing highways and conducting technical audits
• Supervision of progress and quality of projects which are carried out under local and foreign funds
• Preparing of annual Highway Schedule of Rates (HSR)
• Conducting taking over of roads
• Confirming the transparency and identity of bitumen buyers
• Coordinating and Participating for “Project Steering Committee (PSC)” meetings
• Evaluating the performance reports of each project
• Bearing office as the chairperson of Ministry Procurement Committee(PPC)
• Participating for important meetings held at President Office, Prime Minister Office and Treasury as directed by the Secretary
• Bearing office as chairperson at Contractors’ Rights and Disputes Settlement meetings
• Updating and maintaining the computer network of the Highway sector of Ministry of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum resources Development.
• Carrying out duties assigned by the Secretary of the Highway sector of Ministry of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum resources Development.

Planning & monitoring division of the Ministry of Transport & Highways is the main division responsible for formulating policies and supervision & Coordination of planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of all development projects comes under highways sector. The main functions of the division can be stated as follows.

• Formulation of policies relevant to highways sector in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
• Planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of highway sector development projects.
• Preparation of Annual Work Programme in line with government priorities and as per budgetary allocations.
• Preparation of Annual Performance report and progress report to the annual budget discussion.
• Preparation and submission of progress reports required by various authorities.
• Compilation of road sector related data and updating the data base as per variations.
• Scheduling and coordination of Project Steering Committee (PSC) meetings with respect to all major projects conducted under the purview of Ministry.
• Evaluation and submission project proposals and concept papers to Department of National Planning and Department of External Resources for approval and funding from the government.
• Evaluation and commenting on various official documents submitted by International Donor Agencies on behalf of Secretary as Aide Memoire, Memorandum of Understanding, and Minutes of Discussion etc.
• Representing meetings, workshops, seminars conducted by different authorities and involved in decision making process in line with vision, mission, functions and development priorities of the Ministry.
• Regular coordination and representation for the sectoral oversight committee on “Transport & Communication” and subcommittee on “Road safety & Traffic Management” on behalf of Secretary.
• Timely completion and submission of progress reports to the institutions as per requirements made.
• Identification and reporting progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) along with targets and indicators directly comes under Highways sector.

The development division of Highways sector of the Ministry of Higher Education & Highways is a collection of 2 divisions as Land Division and Rural Road Development Division.

Land Division

Land division of Highways sector of Ministry of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development is responsible for facilitation of all the related activities adhered with land acquisition process of newly construction/rehabilitation of highways sector projects and maintaining a proper level coordination with the institutions where relevant stakeholders involved.

Role of the division;

• Submission of Hon. Minister’s recommendations to the Ministry of Lands and Parliamentary Reforms in relation to the Acquisition Proposals as per the section -2 of the Land Acquisition Act. And obtaining the vacant possession under interim order 38 (a), in order to acquire lands for the implementation of new road projects and road development activities.
• Performing further activities related to the acquired lands in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act..
• Taking actions on paying compensation for the lands acquired.
• Coordination with the Ministry of Lands and parliamentary Reforms , Road Projects , Department of Valuation, Department of Survey, Divisional Secretariats, Government Press etc.
• Holding of the meetings of the Land Acquisition and Resettlement Special Committee (Super LARC), preparation of committee decisions and inform the same
• Submission of Reports asked by the Presidential Secretariat, Prime Minister’s office. Parliament Committees etc.
• Assisting to resolve Public Grievances.
• Make necessary arrangements through the Land purchasing committee to purchase lands to resettle the persons who are affected due to the acquisition of lands to construct new roads or road development activities.
• Revocation under section 39(I) of the Land Acquisition Act. But later identified that they are not required for the road development activities and submission of Hon. Minister’s recommendations on divesting under section 39(a) (I) to the Ministry of Lands and Parliamentary Reforms.
• Submission of recommendations on the revocation under section 50 of the Land Acquisition Act for the lands which are identified that they are not required for road development activities, after issuing the order under section 2 of the Act.

(MagaNeguma) Rural Road Development Division

The Rural Development Division has been functioning over the past 15 years with a view to improve a better rural road network, to improve the economic and social development in the Country. Main functions of the Division are as follows.

• Preparation of Annual work programmes and circulars.
• Collecting rural road project proposals according to the annual plan and circulars.
• Obtaining required recommendations and preparation of estimates.
• Issuing allocation to the Implementing Agencies.
• Conducting awareness programmes for officers of the implementing agencies and provide necessary instructions to community based organizations which involved with the projects.
• Conducting field inspections and observations.
• Collecting bills to the Ministry and do the payments.
• Monitoring an evaluation of the progress.

The Procurement Division (Procurement Cell) of the Highways Sector of Ministry of Highways & Road Development and Petroleum Resources Development has been established as per the instruction of then, National Procurement Agency (NPA), and functions the role of coordinating all activities relevant to the procurements fallen under the financial threshold of the Ministry and Cabinet level procurements. Road Development Authority (RDA), which is the Executing Agency (EA) of the Ministry, has formulated several Project Management Units (PMUs) in respect of each project. Such PMUs prepare their Annual Procurement Plan (APP) for each year and send them to the Procurement Division of the Ministry. This division consolidates all such procurement plans including internal divisions of RDA and prepares the Master Procurement Plan of the whole Ministry.

This division facilitates for the implementation of the said Master Procurement Plan coordinating with the relevant other stakeholders such as, the General Treasury, other Line Ministries, National Procurement Commission (NPC) and Procurement Appeal Board (PAB) etc. The Human resources of this division include a Procurement Specialist, one Procurement Assistant, Two Development Officers, Two Management Assistants and one office Assistant.

Main Functions of the Division

Main functions of the Procurement division of the Ministry of Higher Education and Highways (Highway Section) are summarized as follows.

• Collecting relevant information pertaining to the Annual Procurement Plan of all divisions of the Ministry, RDA and Project Management Units and prepare the Master Procurement Plan of the Ministry.
• Liaise with the General Treasury in respect of the appointments of Technical Evaluation Committee (TECs) or Project Committees (PCs) to assist the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC) or Cabinet Appointed Negotiation Committee (CANC) or Cabinet appointed Consultant Procurement Committees (CACPCs).
• Coordinate with the Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education and Highways and appoint Ministry Procurement Committees (MPCs), Department Procurement Committees (DPCs), Project Procurement Committees (PPCs) and respective TECs. In respect of the consultancy procurements, appointment of relevant consultant procurement committee.
• Liaise with other Line Ministries and Agencies, to obtain services of subject experts for the TECs and PCs.
• Arranging meetings in respect of Ministry and Cabinet level procurements and record those decisions pertaining to the document approvals, issuance of Addendums, Contract awards and approval of variations etc.
• Assist for the preparation of Cabinet Memorandums in respect of all procurement related activities.
• Liaise with the Procurement Appeal Board (PAB), at the time of submission of appeals by unsuccessful bidders.
• Preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual progress report and submit the same to Procurement Monitoring Unit (PMU) established at the Treasury.
• Liaise with the National Procurement Commission and furnish required information as and when necessary.
• Attend to periodic meetings arrange by other stakeholder organization in respect of procurement activities of the ministry.
• Organizing periodic training programmes for the staff of the Ministry or RDA.

Rural roads Development program has started in 2004 under the Ministry of Highways as Maga Neguma Rural Roads Development Program to develop rural roads in the country. The project has been continued by changing the project name time to time as Maga Neguma Rural Road Development Program, Rural Roads Reawakening Programm , Ran Mawath Program and Rural Roads Development Program.

In 2020, as per the Gazette Notification Number 2187/27, dated 09.08.2020, the State Ministry of Rural Roads & other Infrastructure has been established focusing the development of rural road network and related infrastructure. In 2022, the State Ministry has taken under the Ministry of Transport & Highways as per the Gazette Extra Ordinary dated 27.05.2022. Now it is functioned as a Division of the Ministry of the Transport & Highways.

There are two Programs implemented under the rural Roads Division, Rural Roads Program and Rural Bridges Program. Based on the allocation received from the Treasury, the program is implemented to develop rural roads by using proper methodologies such as concreting, interlock block paving, Asphalt concreting, Metaling & Tarring and gravelling.

All development works are implemented through the Road development Authority, District/ Divisional Secretariats and Provincial Road Development Authority.

Vision

Better Standard of Living and Better Quality of life for all, through connectivity.

Mision

To create a lifetime road network for rural livelihood through wider collaboration, sustainable leadership and efficient infrastructure.