Caltex donates Rs 10 million for the North Railway line extension

Kishu Gomes, MD/CEO Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC handing over their Rs. 10 Million contribution towards the “Uthuru Mithuru” Rail Track Reconstruction Project to Hon. Kumara Welgama, Minister of Transport. Also in the picture are Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan, Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Mr. Anura Perera, Director/GM Finance, Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC.

 

Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC, the marketer of Caltex, Havoline and Delo branded lubricants in Sri Lanka, recently contributed a sum of Rs.10 Million towards the “Uthuru Mithuru” Yal Devi Friendship Rail Track Reconstruction Project, as an initiative to help rebuild and regain prosperity in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

 

The Yal Devi train to Jaffna which was first operated in 1956, had to be permanently closed in 1990 due to the ethnic conflict. As a post-war recovery programme launched by the Sri Lankan Government, project “Uthuru Mithuru” was launched with the intention of restoring the connectivity between the North and the rest of the railway grid, in an attempt to reconnect the community of Jaffna with the rest of the country.

 

“We strongly believe that by reconnecting the Northern Province with the rest of the railway grid, we will be bringing communities together, thereby rebuilding the social structure of the country to a scale that will produce sustainable results of peace and development” commented Mr. Kishu Gomes, MD/CEO of Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC.

 

“We are keen to see sustainable development in the North. This can only happen if the people in the North experience the freedom that existed before the war began. And one of the main ways to create the desired atmosphere is to ensure physical connectivity between the North and the rest of the country. We therefore see this project as a bridge of fraternity between the people of the North and the South”, he continued.

 

For Chevron, Corporate Social Responsibility has long been part of the organisation’s values and the way it operates. As a socially responsible organisation, Chevron is committed to contributing to social and economic development through its numerous projects in the community. The renovation of the General Hospital Matara amounting to Rs. 7 Million and the refurbishment project of the Kandy Railway Station at a cost of Rs. 8 Million are examples of Chevron’s more recent endeavors. Further, Chevron embarked on a national campaign on road safety together with the Traffic Police, to create awareness on safe driving practices.  The project involved a series of road shows and educational programmes for school children as well as a programme to recognize & reward safe drivers as a means of positive reinforcement of good behaviour, which was run in major cities across the country.

 

The corporate responsibility projects indentified and undertaken by Chevron are driven by a commitment to socio-economic development, based on research that considers the medical, social, economic, and cultural dynamics shaping the future of Sri Lanka.

 

According to the organisation, community partnerships and being socially responsible are fundamental to the broader success of the business as they assist in ways that help stimulate economic growth and enable communities to prosper.