Sri Lanka Can be Best in Asia - Milcris, an Oman-based Sri Lankan Owned Company

04th December 2009, www.dailymirror.lk, By Sunimalee Dias

Milcris, an Oman-based Sri Lankan owned company, aspires to take on the challenge of opening doors to the world by helping the country become one of the best in Asia, the firm's CEO Millan De Silva said yesterday.

"If all Sri Lankans unite, we can become one of the best Asian economies," he said at the media briefing held in Colombo to announce the company's plans to set up local operations and get connected with post war development work.

Having participated in the workshop organised by the Government with the President's attendance, De Silva noted that they realised it was time for them to contribute in Sri Lanka.

"Here we can invest in professionalism and contribute our expertise to the Government and retain much of the foreign gains," he explained.

He noted that the company's aim was to become the preferred cost consultancy service provider in the region and that it hoped to expand services to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Mumbai as well as Sri Lanka in 2010.

The Milcris Chairman is Syyid Shihab Bin Tariq Al Said, a high profile Royal family member, and the company is currently handling the cost consultancy for the construction of two new airports in Muscat and Salalah, valued at US$4.5 billion, each with a passenger load of 12 and two million respectively per annum.

The company's Quality Assurance and Training Manager Udhyani Jayasuriya said that they provided both on the job training services as well as training programmes for prospective quantity surveyors.

The company provides a continuous development of their human resources observed to be the most valuable asset of the organisation.

Milcris Head of Corporate Affairs Upul Jayasuriya speaking with the Daily FT on the sidelines of the meeting said that following the conclusion of the two-day meeting with the government, Milcris along with several other investors were not convinced on how they could play a definite role although they were ready to render their services to the country.

He noted that some officials were not capable of assisting them with ready answers to queries made upfront. However, the company is interested in assisting and providing its expertise to the relevant sectors that are part of the development drive currently taking place.