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Surveyors oppose Rs 25b survey contract to US firm
The Government Surveyors Association (GSA) has vowed to continue their protest over Government plans to hand over to an American firm a survey contract costing Rs 25 billion.
GSA President Duminda Udugoda said there wasn’t any reason to do this as the Survey Dept could do the job for Rs 500 million.
However, Surveyor General P. Udayakantha said the current system and technology in the Survey Dept is outmoded and hence, would take up to two years to carry out such a survey.
He also pointed out that this wasn’t an outsourcing of the contract to the American firm- Trimble Inc.
“This is not a decision to outsource operations to a foreign firm. We are merely bringing in an upgraded system that would make the process more efficient,” Mr. Udayakantha said. “Presently, there are 1.1 million land parcels without a survey plan and this new system would help us survey them at a much quicker pace,” he added.
“The work would still be carried out by the Survey Dept with the Land Commissioner General and the Registrar General, as is the normal procedure. And there won’t be any negative impact on our Dept’s staff. If at all, it would make their work a lot easier,” he added.
Mr. Udugoda, however, said the present technology used in Colombo is the same as the one proposed by Trimble Inc, and that, eventually, the technology used in Colombo would spread to other areas of the country as well. Hence, there was no need to give a contract for such a large sum, to obtain something we already have.
He also stated this was not about technology or the system, as the Surveyor General said.
“One can’t help wonder why the Government would spend Rs 25 billion to import a software system. It doesn’t make sense. We suspect that operations would eventually be handed over to Trimble Inc., and this is why we demand the Government stop this,” he said.
Employees of the Survey Dept are currently on strike and no work has been done for the past few days.
The GSA had appealed to the President earlier, and a Special Committee comprising MPs Lasantha Alagiyawanna, T.B. Ekanayake and Sriyani Wijewickrama, was appointed to look into the matter.
State Minister T.B. Ekanayake said they were looking into the matter with complete transparency and fairness.
“We met the GSA at the Parliament Committee Room and decided to have another meeting in April. Until then we will not take a decision,” the State Minister said.
“We have asked for the relevant documents of Trimble Inc. and for a Cabinet paper to be submitted,” he added.
Another allegation made by the GSA was that the CCEM headed by the Prime Minister, had neither submitted a Cabinet paper nor waited for the Special Committee’s decision, before deciding to grant the contract to Trimble Inc.
However, State Minister Ekanayake said there was no need to worry, as no contract would be given without first, the committee’s decision, and second, Parliament’s approval, and hence, the protest was unnecessary.