Township project for Kalutara

The Ministry of Construction and Engineering Services will obtain Cabinet approval to launch a township project which will include 15,000 houses and a university in Kalutara.

The Ministry will implement the project with the assistance of a company in Singapore.

Minister of Construction and Engineering Services Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said the construction industry plays a major role in the development of the country and such projects to develop cities will provide employment to a large number of skilled workers.

The construction industry had a growth of 9.2 per cent last year and this year the target is to achieve 10 per cent growth. The construction sector contributed Rs. 141 billion to the GDP last year.

The Minister said there is a dearth of skilled workers in the country. Over 90 per cent of the stakeholders of the construction sector are from the SME sector. A program will be launched shortly to train 100,000 workers in all districts with the assistance of BioFace, a French construction company.

Around 600,000 houses need to be built in the country due to the devastation of the tsunami and the war. The Ministry will build 100,000 houses to resettle people in the Eastern province under the first phase of the project this year.

"The Ministry has signed agreements to build 300 houses in Doha, Qatar and 15,000 houses in Bahrain and will be undertaking mega construction projects in the Middle East this year. The projects will need around 5,000 workers", Dr. Senaratne said.

The Minister said 600 employees of the State Engineering Corporation were made permanent from May 1 and another 300 will be confirmed before the end of the year. Employees who had worked for over 10 years have not been made permanent while increments and benefits have not been given to certain employees.

The State Engineering Corporation has been an important stakeholder in the construction sector. The Corporation will be revamped and the services of the professionals will be obtained for construction activities in the country.

Excon 2008, the annual trade fair of the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) will be held from May 9-11 at the BMICH.

CEO, CCI, Dhakshitha Thalagodapitiya said the trade fair will enhance competitiveness and promote links among stakeholders. The fair will be a gateway to build a strategic partnership and expand markets.

Excon 2008 will have 150 trade stalls providing opportunities for vendors of plant, equipment, construction inputs, financial services and other service providers to meet their target clientele.

- LF