Sri Lanka eyes projects in Gulf

  
Sri Lanka plans to provide professional services for the booming construction industry

in Qatar and Bahrain, according to a report.

Sri Lanka's Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) has opened an office in Qatar to tap

opportunities in the country and the region.Dakshitha Thalgodapitiya, CEO and secretary

general of CCI, said  that the Qatar office would help the CCI to prospect for propjects

in the country.

He said Sri Lanka's State Engineering Corp (SEC) has already signed an agreement in

Bahrain to build 15,000 houses.Over a million Sri Lankans are employed in the

six GCC states with 130,000 in Qatar alone. Thalgodapitiya noted that this could easily be

increased to 200,000 because of the huge business expansion and infrastructure creation

in Qatar.

Thalgodapitiya said that a large number of foreign guests from Qatar, India, UK and

Malaysia are expected to visit the Excon 2008 annual trade fair of the Chamber of

Construction Industry to be held at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Hall

in Colombo from May 9 to 11.