Engineers are one of the most valuable assets in the country and play a vital role in national development, Highways and Road Development Minister Kabir Hashim told guests at the National Engineering Conference held at the Kshathriya Villa, Mawathagama.
It was organised by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL).
“Countries such as Korea, Malaysia, China and Thailand have developed due to the great contributions made by engineers.
The great services rendered by Sri Lankan engineers such as Dr. A. N. S. Kulasinghe should not be forgotten. When the accelerated Mahaweli project was launched, Sri Lankan Engineers who were assigned to key positions made great contributions towards its success. They have also contributed immensely to the success of other development projects,” Minister Hashim, who was the chief guest, said.
Referring to the great ancient irrigation work in Sri Lanka, he said, “The Kuttam Pokuna, Biso Kotuwa and Sorrowva were good examples of the high knowledge of water management of our ancient people.” The world is changing very fast and lots of changes are taking place around us.Bangalore in India became a very important city due to technological and educational development, the Minister said.
The Minister said that he plans to bring new legislation for the construction sector. Except for the construction sector, foreign companies should have local partners to work in the country. Similar regulations should also be introduced for the construction sector. Local companies which were awarded contracts in the building of the Central Expressway have proved that they are able to attend to such work, the Minister said. The theme for this year’s conference was ‘Sri Lanka Engineering for National Development – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’.
Six Sri Lankan engineers, experts in their own fields, made presentations. They were Prof Arumugam Navanathan, University of London, Eng Dr. Manodha Gamage, Eng Dr. Priyantha Wijetunga, Prof. Ajith de Alwis, Eng Sanjeewa Wijesingha and Eng Ganesh Dahanayaka.