News
New laws to ensure safety of buildings
A Construction Development Authority will soon register all contractors and adopt a string of measures to regulate the fast growing building industry.
This is one of the highlights of a new Construction Industry Development Bill the Government will introduce in Parliament “to register, formalise and standardise” the construction industry.
Among the objectives of the proposed Authority, according to the draft law prepared by the Ministry of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities are:
- Register all stakeholders in the construction industry and renew the registrations periodically.
- Formulate standards in the construction industry and categorise such standards as compulsory and voluntary standards
- Implement codes of conduct, practices, procedures and processes and documentation relating to the construction industry.
- Assess the competence of skilled workers engaged in the construction industry and issue certificates to such persons who do not possess certificates.
The draft law makes provision for the Authority to acquire in “any manner and hold, take on lease or hire, mortgage, pledge, sell or otherwise dispose of, any movable or immovable property.” It also makes provision for the Authority to accept “and receive grants, donations and bequests, both movable and immovable, from sources in or outside Sri Lanka.”
The proposed Authority is to be headed by a director general who will be responsible for enforcing the national policy on construction.