Excon 2009 exhibition held:

Construction industry to see rapid boom

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

We can march forward to achieve the ultimate goal of development of the country without seeking financial assistance from the Government, Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.

The Minister was addressing the gathering at the inaugural session regarding the 'Excon 2009' exhibition at the BMICH recently.

The Excon 2009 is the Sri Lanka's first ever international construction exhibition and a pioneering venture which has attracted significant participation of construction industry stakeholders from the region, not only to display and promote their products and services but also to explore opportunities for investment and bilateral trade.

The Excon exhibition has been designed to enhance the capacities and competitiveness of the domestic construction industry, facilitate linkage building among construction industry stakeholders and to promote export of construction related professional services and contracting capacities.

In addition to that the exhibition will be utilised for promoting direct investment for infrastructure development and promote of cost effective,environmentally friendly and alternate building technologies and much more.

"We Sri Lankans are confident to march forward after getting together and discussing ways and means for development.

"When it comes to the development aspect, the best way to develop the country is none other than construction. The construction industry has to be brought to the limelight as it plays a major role in the path to the development," Minister Senarathne said.

The country has been liberated from the clutches of the LTTE by our valiant soldiers after sacrificing many lives, limbs and organs of our war heroes.

"Now the time has arisen and this is our term to develop the country. But certain people ask for more and more from the Government.

They have forgotten the sacrifices of our brave soldiers.

"If the soldiers asked for more salary or more facilities while in the battle against the terrorism, would we be able to defeat terrorism which brought chaos to the country," Senarathne queried.