Sri Lanka, Sept. 28 -- Sri Lanka's expressway network could take more than 171 years to repay the principal amount of loans obtained for its construction, based on current average annual net earnings, according to a recent audit observation.

The audit found that loans amounting to Rs. 611.37 billion had been obtained from domestic and foreign sources for the construction of the expressway network. With average annual net profit reported at around Rs. 3.56 billion, the revenue generated by the expressways remains insufficient to repay the principal, without taking interest costs into account.

The audit noted that the current income from expressway operations is inadequate to meet both loan repayments and interest obligations. As a resul...