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| Sunday, 30 January 2005 |
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On Construction material NCASL wants ban lifted The National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) has requested the government to temporarily lift the ban imposed on construction materials to cater to the huge boom in the construction industry that occurred due to the tsunami which affected three fourth of the coastal areas and damaged people and property. The local construction industry is geared to handle the situation but the government needs to help us, Secretary NCASL Mahanama Jayamanna, said. NCASL in a letter addressed to the President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has requested to lift the bans on transportation of sand and timber be lifted temporily and to identify burrow pits for earth of acceptable quality for construction purposes. The other matters discussed in the letter are coarse aggregates, delays in obtaining environmental and provincial council approvals as well as funds. The NCASL has requested the government to remove the restriction on transportation of river sand as a temporary measure while arrangements are needed to release the excess stock pile of rain washed sand pumped for the construction of Colombo Katunayake highway as a temporary measure and also establish a site for storage and washing of sea sand. We have also requested the government to relax the restrictions on transportation of timber. In addition the sites with granite rock for blasting and quarrying has to be developed. For this approved quarry sites must be activated while new sites should be identified. The necessary approvals should be obtained by the government. Land need to be allocated with necessary instructions to expedite approvals from the UDA, CEA and the Provincial Councils. The government also needs to establish pre caste concrete yards and concrete batching plants for fabrication of pre cast elements to be used in house construction. At present the banks treat the construction industry as a high risk low priority sector therefore companies engaged in the business of construction have difficulties in expanding their business. Therefore the NCASL has requested the government to increase the bank guarantees by a minimum of 100 percent, acceptance of bonds and guarantees issued by recognized insurance companies and the construction Guarantee fund be made mandatory for all construction projects, concessionary funding for importation of plant and machinery and increase of the advance payment by 30 percent to ensure adequate resources would be available for fast tracking of construction activities. NCASL as an association is planning to build 1000 houses for the victims and we are already in a position to build 150 houses as soon as the land is allocated in Matara and Hambantota. We have requested for the land from the the land from the Government but they are yet to release it. We have got the plans from NHDA and each house is 400 square foot and will cost RS 330,000. He said that already Chairman Nawaloka Group of Companies who is also the Chairman of NCASL H.K. Dharmadasa has promised to build 100 houses with his own funds while L.H..Piyasena and Co. has undertaken to build 50 houses. Fifty percent of the cement requirement for the project will be provided freee of charge while the balance will be provided at a discounted rate by Mahaweli Marine Cement. (SG) |
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