|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 2 January 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Turn disaster into an opportunity - CCI by Surekha Galagoda The country must turn the tidal wave disaster into an opportunity and capitalise on it to transfom the nation towards the requirements of the 21st century. These were the comments made by President of the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) Sri Lanka Surath Wickramasinghe in an interview with the 'Sunday Observer'. For example during the times of the British the Galle Road and the Railway line were laid parallel to the sea since they wanted to enjoy the scenic beauty. Today the whole railway line is damaged and therefore it is an ideal opportunity to plan the road and rail network properly without commiting the same mistake that was done centuries back. "In my view the rail track should be laid parallel to the Southern Expressway This will not only save money but also be convenient for the people who use the road and rail network alternatively as in other countries. In addition this will give a large parcel of land with a water front which can be used for recreation and leisure activities. At present Sri Lanka Railway has to replace the coastal rail track every two years as it gets corroded and it costs a lot. In the event the rail track is shifted to run parallel with the Southern Expressway this money can be saved," he noted. In some parts of Galle and Matara there are no pavements and the people walk out of their houses to the main road. This is a very dangerous situation. This is an ideal opportunity to redesign the road network to be on par with the rest of the world. " Replan Galle, Matara ,Tangalle and Hambantota extensively with good urban designs as they have to be completely rebuilt. Proper planning must be done to turn the disaster into an opportunity and work should begin quickly as this will help the nation to come out of the worst natural disaster the country suffered on December 26. It claimed the lives of many people and damaged property within minutes. The Department of Coast Conservation together with the respective authorities should lay down building guidelines and regulations with regard to the minimum distance that should be left as bare land from the shore line. This will depend on many factors. But the authorities should bear in mind that the water front is a major attraction to tourists. Also when building hotels along the coastal line in the future keeping a minimum distance from the shore line and building a strong structure should be given priority . He said that though the CCI consists of architects , valuers, surveyors, town planners, consulting engineers and the government is yet to approach us and get our services. As we have the equipment and machinery as well as the expertise and experience we can work in different parts of the country. The CCI has a membership of over 700,000 and the infrastructure of the construction industry can be utilized to expedite the work. A total of 134, 173 displaced families representing 611,473 persons from 15 districts of the country have been affected due to the disaster. The urgent need is relocating them . The CCI is in a position to undertake settlement or township planning as we are multi disciplinary . The time duration also will be much less as CCI is in a position to plan, design and implement as one organisation. CCI can work in different parts of te country as we have members in every district and this will help expedite the work as well. " We will ensure that the misappropriation of funds and material will not occur and we will be responsible for procurement procedures as well as the quality standards of the work we do," he emphasized. Wickramasinghe said that even the materials used for building of temporary structures should be re-usable. This is the way to do it economically without wasting money. . He said that there will be a huge crisis of building materials in the future and there might be a 5-10 percent increase in cement prices as two cement plants have gone undr water. Wickramasinghe was of the view that the government and the chamber should work together to rebuild the nation and usher in prosperity for everybody in the new year. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
