Country on construction boom

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

The construction industry is on the threshold of a boom based on the Economic Growth Forecast by the Central Bank. However, these figures could further increase beyond these targets, if the gross capital formation with visionary government policies and planning are streamlined, Chamber of Construction Industry Chairman Surath Wickramasinghe said at the induction of Architect and Planner Lalith Thilinapriya Kiringoda as the 31st President of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA) Sri Lanka at Waters Edge Battaramulla last week.

He said in Sri Lanka the OPA with 43 different disciplines represents an interpolation of knowledge and information in many areas essential for development and therefore, this group is in a better position to make the maximum contribution to society.

However, the corporate sector is facing a major setback due to the difficulties in obtaining the services of professionals in different disciplines and skilled persons. In Sri Lanka, the number of professionals in proportion to society is somewhat less than in the advanced countries. At the same time, the exodus of qualified professionals looking for better prospects overseas for them and their families is significant. With a boom in the offing in the country, Sri Lanka is also exporting skilled persons. But if this trend continues, very soon Sri Lanka will have to import both professionals and skilled personnel to meet its requirements. But this trend should be reversed, he said.

To overcome part of this problem, it is the responsibility of the OPA to guide and advice the government on matters regarding intellect and training where OPA has specialized knowledge.

Therefore, he proposed to the OPA President that he continues with the career guidance programmes prepared by the OPA previously by updating where necessary and using the latest technology to transmit the programmes nationwide through a multi-lingual career guidance website.

“This will provide an opportunity for the youth to learn about the variety of professional opportunities available. Furthermore, exhibitions and seminars at district level could promote more interaction between professionals and the youth, and even senior citizens, towards increasing the number of professionals and our skilled workforce,” he said .

He was confident that the government will support this programme for good governance and state policy to effectively harness the skills and talents of the youth which are a national asset.

He also said that on the bright and more positive side, the transformation of different cities in Sri Lanka is happening effectively. For example, the several infrastructure projects undertaken by the Defence Ministry to improve the environment in Colombo and Sri Jayawardenapura by providing the public many areas for leisure and recreation is commended by all.

Even in Nuwara Eliya, particularly the Lake Gregory which has been neglected for several years have been dredged and the lake looks beautiful and this lake could now be a venue for international sports, specially rowing due to its linear nature.

However, the Race Course at Nuwara Eliya which is also an iconic venue is in a very poor condition and if it is also regenerated and integrated effectively with other sports including horse racing, Nuwara Eliya could be brought back to its former glory.

Wickramasinghe said the private sector should be motivated and given confidence by clearing the prevailing ‘bottlenecks’. He offered the assistance of OPA and the Chamber to the Defence Ministry to overcome these impediments by introducing new mechanisms to fast track development. The ideal scenario would be a continuous dialogue between the Defence Ministry, and the Finance and Economic Development Ministry and the private sector on national strategy to get a balanced view point, he said.