Sept 18, Colombo: Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, W.S. Sathyananda said 13 urgent proposals to overcome the recession in the construction industry have been handed over to the President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Accordingly, this year’s budget will introduce the necessary policies to uplift the construction industry, the official said.

Pointing out that about 20% of the country’s population depends on the construction industry, the Ministry Secretary emphasized that if the construction industry somehow collapses the lives of 1/5 of the total population of the country will be disabled.

The Secretary said that the government led by the president is currently doing the necessary work to uplift the construction industry in this country, and the government is working to provide the necessary financial and non-financial solutions to uplift the construction industry.

The Ministry Secretary mentioned this while joining the Kalutara District Counseling Services mobile program for resolving construction disputes of small and medium scale contractors. The program was held at the Dodangoda Divisional Secretariat, Kalutara.

This program is implemented on the advice of the Minister of Urban Development and Housing Prasanna Ranatunga. The Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) under the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing and the National Construction Association jointly organize this advisory service.

The main objective of this mobile program is to provide solutions to the problems faced by local small and medium scale contractors and strengthen them.

As the regulator of the construction sector in Sri Lanka, the Construction Industry Development Authority handles the resolution of contractors’ problems in accordance with the provisions of the Construction Industry Development Act No. 33 of 2014.

The Sri Lankan construction industry is a major contributor to the country’s economy. But due to the Covid epidemic and the economic crisis, the construction industry was greatly affected in the past. This consultation program is conducted free of charge at the district level to resolve the disputes of the affected small and medium scale construction contractors in Sri Lanka.

In parallel, the Construction Industry Development Authority also conducted the registration of construction workers to provide them with the skilled construction worker ID card.

Kalutara Additional District Secretary Thilanka Wettasinghe, Dodangoda Assistant Divisional Secretary Anisha Shiromala, Urban Development and Housing Ministry Director General (Engineering Services) Vajira Abeywardena, National Construction Association President Darrington Paul, Construction Industry Development Authority President R. H. Ruvinis, Director General S.K.S. Amarasekera, Executive Director Trevin Fernando, Director Chandima Karunaratne and others participated in this event.