COLOMBO, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Port City Colombo, a flagship project between Sri Lanka and China under the Belt and Road Initiative, has unveiled its first Social Responsibility Report highlighting actions taken by the company to support local communities and the environment.

The event, held in Colombo on Monday, was attended by Secretary to the Ministry of Urban Development, Water Supply and Housing, Priyath Bandu Wickrama, State Minister of Urban Development Gamini Lokuge, Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan, Head of Publicity of China Communications Construction Company Liu Yan, and Project Director of Port City Colombo Nihal Fernando.

Noting the "unbreakable friendship" between China and Sri Lanka, Ambassador Cheng said that Port City Colombo was an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative which would drive the Sri Lankan economy to new heights.

"China remains true to our original aspiration to deepen understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative, actively fulfilling its social responsibilities, striving to give back to society and benefiting the people," Cheng said.

Liu Yan said that construction of Port City Colombo was done taking into consideration of local needs and resources. The company strived to employ locals, train talents, transfer technology, upgrade local industries, promote environmental protection and cooperate with government authorities, she said.

China Communications Construction Company "is committed to building roads that build greater wealth, bridges that enhance people to people exchange, ports that drive development, and cities that increase people's happiness," said Liu.

Project Director of Port City Colombo Nihal Fernando said that social responsibility started with the initial design of the project, as a large portion of the 269 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea was to be designated as a public space to be enjoyed by locals.

"The CSR work of the Port City is not limited to people using the Port City but also to people living in outside areas. Such a variety of projects will benefit all people living in Sri Lanka," Fernando said.

Fernando noted that the Port City project was subject to impact assessments under local laws and was approved with 72 conditions outlined by the Coastal Conservation Department and the Central Environmental Authority.

According to the social responsibility report, Port City Colombo set up a 3.03 million U.S. dollar fishermen livelihood improvement program in collaboration with the Sri Lankan government and several NGOs to support fishermen in Negombo, a coastal city 37 km north of Colombo.

Under the program, 1.65 million U.S. dollars were spent on combating coastal erosion by restoring beaches and building breakwaters. Steps were also taken to protect fisheries breeding grounds in the Negombo lagoon.

As of October 2019, Port City Colombo allocated 200,000 U.S. dollars for training programs. In 2018, workplace safety was promoted and by August 2019, a total of 12 million safe work hours went into building Port City Colombo, with zero recorded accidents. Enditem

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