Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB) President Dr Rohan Karunaratne said they appreciated the decision taken by the government to pay the arrears due to government construction projects before the end of January.
S. R. Attygalle, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance had said that Rs. 243 billion had already been paid to construction contractors due to government construction projects and that all outstanding bills would be paid before the end of this month. He had stated this at a meeting held at Temple Trees recently to inform government officials about the ‘Chat with the Village’ (Gama Samaga Pilisadarak) program.
Attygalle requested all responsible government officials, including District Secretaries, to refer all outstanding bills to the Treasury as soon as possible. Appreciating the decision of the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, CIOB President Dr Karunaratne further said, “If any government takes decisions that hinder the long-term growth of the construction industry, we as an institute of the construction industry will criticize it without political bias. Similarly, we appreciate any decision taken by any government that contributes to the long-term growth of the construction industry.’ The political instability under the previous government, the Easter attack and the current corona epidemic are causing some setbacks in the construction industry. At this point, the contractors are doing business with great difficulty. I appreciate the Government’s decision to pay their arrears expeditiously. As a leading institute of representing the construction industry in Sri Lanka, we have been urging the Government to expedite the payment of dues for construction projects that have been completed to the required standard. We see the positive response of the government as a coincidence”
