Dr Sarath Obeysekera

Mar 27, 2019 19:23 PM GMT+0530 | 0 Comment(s)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka Land Reclamation & Development Corporation is to buy a dredger to mine sand from the deep sea to meet the requirements of the construction industry, the state information office said.Sea sand now meets about 10 percent of the local requirement for building construction, it said in a statement.
But with construction activity expected to increase in future, more sea sand dredging would be required to meet the growing demand.
A proposal to buy a dredger for the Land Reclamation & Development Corporation was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers this week on a proposal by Megapolis and Western Development Ministers Champika Ranawaka. 
(COLOMBO, March 27, 2019-SB)

We have a serious problem in Sri Lanka .Neither Government nor Cabinet of ministers have any clue how to identify specific the  skills and qualification of various corporations and the departments .

When Ceylon Electricity Board decided to install Coal Powered Power Generation plants, electrical engineers who dominate the board functions, never allowed mechanical or marine engineers to provide any input when they procured the coal power plants and barges and tugs to transport coal powder from large ships to the plant .

Outcome is that we have a malfunctioning power plant and unusable three barges and two tugs which are supplied by Chinese .These barges are nor self-propelled hence controlling the barges in high seas is very cumbersome .

Three barges and two tugs have been handed over to Sri Lanka Navy and CEB is hiring some Indian self-propelled barges to transport coal to pier .

Sri Lanka Land Reclamation Corporation ( SLLRDC) planning to buy a dredger may be a good idea assuming that a  Dutch Company is eying to supply the trailing suction hopper  dredger .SLLRDC should  have a team of marine engineers not only to draw up the correct specification but also  to plan operation  and maintenance  of  the dredger .

If they intend to buy a dredger, they should use an  another company or  an organization to  handle such sophisticated equipment.

One might think that Ceylon Shipping Corporation should undertake the operation and maintenance of the dredger .By looking at their pastr performance during last few decades ,  country has seen how they have failed to maintain their own vessels which were  sent for scrap ,Hence government should think twice who should undertake the operation,

By best bet is Sri Lanka Navy to operate and maintain the dredger

 Dr Sarath Obeysekera