Useful handbook for Sri Lanka’s construction industry sector
With the ongoing construction boom in the country, local engineers, architects and builders involved in the building industry will undoubtedly benefit a great deal from the publication of a new book launched last week.
Titled “the Project Managers Hand Book’, the book has been compiled by a veteran Sri Lankan Engineer Ranjith Gunatilleke. who has several accolades to his credit. The book was launched last week at a ceremony held at the Kingsbury Hotel Colombo with several dignitaries including outgoing Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi, top army and Air Force officers, Prof. Lakshman Alwis, Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake, academics, businessmen and professionals present on the occasion.
Captain M.G. Kularatne,, friend of the author and Chairman/Managing Director of MAGA Group who made the keynote address at the launch, said that the construction industry during the past two decades had progressed rapidly and during the past three years it contributed to 20 per cent of the country’s national growth creating opportunities to Sri Lankan companies and engineers to benefit from the construction boom.
While continuous growth was necessary to develop knowledge and skills of engineers, there was another unforeseen dimension where many foreign companies and engineers have joined the construction ‘bandwagon’ in Sri Lanka during the past few years competing with local contractors. “As a result local contractors and engineers in various sectors have been challenged. The technological transfer that foreigners bring have not benefited the small, local contractors and had created problems for them.”
Referring to project managers in the construction industry, he said life has been made difficult for them due to various factors such as ambiguous documentation relating to specifications of contracts and with unreliable contractors and financial constraints. Therefore the project manager had to be conversant with all aspects of law and with planning, organising and working within a budget during a given period of time to satisfy clients.
“Ranjith was magnanimous to share his knowledge and skills that he gained during the past 40 years for those in the construction industry.”
Book author Mr. Gunatilleke said one of the allegations levelled against the construction industry was that the monies spent on projects was not properly utilised and projects undertaken within a budgetary allocation was not covered.
The Project Managers Book explicitly states how to handle a project effectively and how to overcome difficulties while executing a project. The most important element was that a Project Manager’s job was to perform his job sincerely from the very inception.”He should keep his eyes and ears open all the time to ensure the safety of all employees.”
He noted that the construction industry is experiencing difficulty at present in securing contracts.
Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Ananda College Colombo Development Fund. Mr. Gunatilleke graduated from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Peradeniya in 1976 and joined the State Development and Construction Corporation in 1977. He obtained his full professional qualifications at the age of 26 and served three construction companies as a Chief Engineer. He also served in the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Corp.