Local engineers in Southern Expressway Project to withdraw | Daily News
Delay in CoL allowances payment

Local engineers in Southern Expressway Project to withdraw

Local engineers working on the construction of the Extension of the Southern Expressway Project (ESEP) from Matara to Beliatta have decided to withdraw from the consultancy services from September 10.

This move is in protest of the delays in the payment of the Cost of Living (CoL) allowances to them by the relevant Chinese company for the past four years.

 The engineering consultancy services to the Southern Expressway extension are provided by the local engineers under the China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co. Ltd. (FSDI).

The engineers claim that the said company has been defaulting in settling their annual CoL payments for the past four years despite the company been informed repeatedly in this regard. Therefore, all the engineers working on Phases II, III and IV of the ESEP will withdraw from the service unless the company does not take steps to settle the payments before September 10, the engineers said.

When contacted, the Project Director of the Phase II and III of the ESEP of the Road Development Authority K.W.Kandambi said the request by the local engineers is totally fair.

He said those Engineers had presented their issue to him and he as the Project Director had taken steps to inform the Chinese Company.

The Daily News also tried to contact an officer from the FSDI to inquire in this regard, but the attempt was failed.

The ESEP is carried out under four phases, from Matara to Beliatta, Beliatta to Wetiya, Wetiya to Andarawewa and Hambantota to Mattala via Andarawewa.


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