Leading the construction sector:

Sri Lankan flag flies high

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Be it a dam, hospital, highway, tower or building, the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau (CECB) has done it all! It has lent its expertise and manpower to construct such projects in Sri Lanka and abroad during the past few decades.

Chairman CECB Nihal Rupasinghe

The library donated by the Sri Lankan Government to the Maldivian Government is one of the many buildings constructed by the CECB. The Sri Lankan High Commission in Chennai, a 400 million rupee project, is another landmark building designed according to Sri Lankan architecture.

The Bureau was set up in 1973 by the late Minister for Land, Irrigation and Power, Maithripala Senanayake to harness local expertise for construction work related to hydro power, irrigation, dam and water resources projects. However, it was in the mid-70s when CECB's expertise was extensively utilised for the accelerated Mahaveli project.

CECB is the foremost engineering consultancy body in Sri Lanka and functions under the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management and is currently under Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. Over 400 engineers, architects, economists, town-planners and experts from other multi-disciplinary areas all work under one umbrella organisation and have contributed to its success.

It is a miracle that the CECB has retained these professionals despite the lure for them to migrate to developed nations. What motivate them to stay behind is probably job satisfaction besides other motivating factors. The man at the helm of the organisation is Engineer Nihal Rupasinghe, the Chairman, who had continuously served CECB for three decades.

Chairman Nihal Rupasinghe told the Sunday Observer that the CECB was the largest State organisation in the country that employs many engineers, architects and around 1000 technical personnel under one roof. "Ours is a multi-disciplinary body where many electrical, mechanical and chemical engineers work. Anyone can call at our office to obtain a feasibility or design report."

He said during the accelerated Mahaveli project, CECB services were used extensively for construction of the Victoria, Randenigala, Kotmale and Maduru-Oya dam projects by the late Minister Gamini Dissanayake.

"During that period we worked as engineers with several foreign consultancy engineering companies to acquire expertise in different fields," Rupasinghe said.

The Sri Lankan High Commission in Chennai

The CECB was responsible for the construction of the 40 kilometre stretch of road at Randenigala at Rajamawatha and the Dambulla Bakamuna road. Most road networks in the North and the East have been constructed by the CECB. "We have stationed 75 CECB engineers in the Northern Province in areas such as Kilinochchi, Mankulam, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Vedathalthivu and Mannar for development work," said.

Buildings for IDPs

He said that 75 percent of the work related to the construction of buildings for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Menik Farm was carried out by them, while 90 percent of the hospitals and school buildings destroyed by the LTTE have now been reconstructed.

The Army, Navy, Air Force and Police camps in the North are also being built while the A32 road from Mannar to Jaffna and the A9 road from Kandy to Jaffna are being built with Chinese aid. Seventy five percent of the BOI economic zones located in Mirigama, Wathupitiwela, Malwatte and Katunayake have also been constructed by them.

In addition, several operating theatres in leading Government hospitals have also been constructed by the CECB. "We sent our engineers and architects to hospitals to conduct a feasibility study on operating tables used for surgical operations. Thereafter, we were able to design suitable operating tables for Sri Lankan hospitals. Most teaching hospitals today use operating tables that we had designed. We have trained 25 engineers, 15 architects and 100 technicians in hospital technology for designing different types of operating tables for hospitals," he said.

The CECB had also designed and constructed the economic centres at Dambulla, Meegoda and Thambuttegama. "I have set up an international division at the CECB to bid for foreign contracts and we have been quite successful in such endeavours. Two years ago we had a workforce of 600 men including 50 engineers stationed in the Maldives for construction work. We were successful in procuring several tenders for the construction of roads, buildings and harbours. But due to lack of funds with the Maldivian government, the work has been stalled.

"The work at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London is another landmark project undertaken by the CECB at Rs. 800 million. We also work on several small-scale hydro power projects in East African countries such as Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda. Around 25 CECB employees are stationed in these countries," he said.

Chairman Rupasinghe said the CECB needs Rs 60 million every month for its operations. Asked whether the Treasury allocates any money for the upkeep of the institution, the Chairman said no monies have been allocated by the Treasury so far.

The CECB had won the tender for the Moragalla hydro power feasibility studies beating all other well-known international companies. "The CECB quoted the lowest bid to win the tender," he said.

Following President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Libya, the CECB has almost procured a tender worth Rs 400 million in respect of a village design project. Forty engineers have been assigned for the Libyan tender, he said.

The CECB is also lobbying for a consultancy tender in Vietnam in respect of a Hydro power project. Meanwhile, CECB Chairman Rupasinghe has forwarded a proposal to the Sri Lanka Army Headquarters to involve Army soldiers in overseas construction work. "If the proposal is fruitful, soldiers will be in a position to earn an additional income," he said.

Top client

CECB expertise is used in the Uma Oya project

The CECB has become a top client of Sri Lanka's national carrier with a Rs 3 million budget set aside every month for the purchase of air tickets for its employees proceeding abroad. "Almost every day, CECB vehicles go to the Bandaranaike International Airport to drop our staff. Even labourers and other minor staff now have an opportunity to go abroad frequently. As a policy, we recruit Sri Lankan labour over foreign labour for assignments abroad because they bring dollars to the country.''

Asked about CECB's projections for the future, Chairman Rupasinghe said their commitment is to contribute to major development projects including in new areas such as oil exploration in the future. The Central Bank's new building in the Fort, the post office complex at D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, the Ranmihithenne cinema village at Hambantota and boutiques for street vendors at Bodhiraja Mawatha, Pettah were designed by CECB officials, he said. Incidentally, the LMD magazine had listed CECB among the 25 best managed organisations in the country.

Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau General Manager G.H. Pathmasiri said although the CECB has been in existence for over 25 years, the foreign projects division was initiated by Chairman Nihal Rupasinghe. "We entered the foreign market following the construction of the library in Male, Maldives.

The CECB entered into an agreement with the Maldivian government to share technical resources with the Maldivian government. Thereafter, we trained a number of Maldivians in our universities and laboratories.

“We trained them to use limestone for construction work in their harbours. We hope to construct hydro power projects in North India as well", he said.