Amid the current unstable global political and economic crises, Hon. Governor of Northern Province N. Vethanayahan stated that development activities in the Northern Province will continue without slowdown, and that new mechanisms will be quickly developed and implemented to address the rising prices.
The 21st Annual Awards Ceremony organized by the Northern Province Branch of the Sri Lanka National Construction Association was held on today – on Wednesday evening, 08 April 2026, at the Selva Palace, Kokkuvil, Jaffna. Hon. Governor N. Vethanayahan graced the event as the Chief Guest and officially released the Association’s annual special magazine, “Nirmanikal”.
Speaking at the event, the Hon. Governor further stated:
“You are the main pillars of development in the Northern Province. With the special attention shown by the current His Excellency the President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, towards the Northern Province, we are quickly recovering and rising. At this important stage of growth, it is your unwavering dedication that turns project blueprints into reality on our soil.
While facing external pressures, we must never compromise on the quality of construction work. I urge every contractor here to strictly adhere to national construction standards. Quality is not an optional choice. It is the hallmark we present to the world. In addition, the safety of the workers under you is extremely important.
I am pleased to share that, in order to support your commitment to quality, we plan to establish an engineering testing laboratory at the Chunnakam Pradeshiya Sabha. This initiative will provide accelerated local solutions for raw material testing, reduce delays, and ensure the quality of projects.
The sudden increase in the prices of raw materials, caused by conflicts in Iran and the rise in fuel prices, has significantly affected the construction sector in our province. In this challenging situation, to protect you, the contractors, we have taken the following key measures:
The Northern Provincial Council has officially submitted requests to the Construction Industry Development Authority and the Procurement Commission to grant special relief for existing contracts that do not include price escalation clauses. Additionally, we have initiated urgent amendments to the provincial price index to reflect current market conditions. In all future estimations and procurement activities, price escalation clauses will be included to protect contractors.
We fully understand the obstacles you face regarding raw materials. For this reason, the provincial administration has taken important steps by closely coordinating with all sectoral parties to reduce the price of sand and to regularize the supply chain. We are committed to ensuring that resources for your industry are available easily and at fair prices.
The Northern Province is currently receiving substantial financial allocations for road development and major building construction works. Along with investment comes the burden of accountability. Completing projects on time is extremely important. Every delayed project is an injustice to our citizens.
You may have recently heard the political slogan that “funds allocated to the Northern Province are being returned.” You know, just as we do, how far this is from the truth. As Governor of the Province, I responsibly state here that not even one cent of the funds allocated to the Northern Provincial Council in 2025 was returned. We could not have achieved this target alone. It was possible only because of your timely cooperation. This year too, we expect the same full cooperation from you. Encourage the members of your association and provide them with the necessary advice.
To achieve this, we must adopt new engineering solutions. I strongly encourage the Association to work in close coordination with the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Jaffna. Let us reduce the gap between academic research and field application to find local and efficient solutions suited to our unique landscape. Provide opportunities for young engineering students to gain practical learning.
To solve local problems, we must look at global trends. Although many countries implemented the use of recycled plastic in road construction work a long time ago, we have been somewhat slow in this regard. Especially for our housing sector, it is now time to turn towards low-cost, sustainable technologies. Construction works should be able to withstand changing climate challenges and make use of solar radiation for natural lighting,” he said.
At this event, the Governor presented awards to honour the outstanding contractors. Along with the Hon. Governor of Northern Province, Jaffna District Secretary M. Piiratheepan, Deputy Chief Secretary – Engineering Services of Northern Province, N. Suthakaran, and many others participated in the event.
