Sri Lanka Customs has announced plans to commence the Request for Proposal (RFP) process by mid-March for the development of a proposed Customs examination yard in Kerawalapitiya.

Sri Lanka Customs Director and Media Spokesman Chandana Punchihewa told The Sunday Morning Business that a committee under the Ministry of Finance has been appointed to facilitate the project. Another internal committee has been tasked with identifying the specific requirements of the proposed container examination yard.

Punchihewa explained that an earlier plan developed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had used the same land, forecasting daily container volumes of 2,200 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) by 2050. However, current traffic already exceeds 2,000 TEUs daily, and following Cyclone Ditwah, volumes surpassed 2,200 TEUs at times, making the original ADB plan for a full replacement of all container yards no longer feasible.

The revised plan will develop the Kerawalapitiya yard as a dedicated import cargo facility, excluding other types of cargo, which requires modifications to the original layout. Punchihewa also noted that while the land has been allocated for the project, the title deed has not yet been transferred to Sri Lanka Customs.