The Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), have over the past 23 years had positive impact developing and enhancing engineering skills that Sri Lanka could now hold parallel status comparing such skills globally, says Senior Vice President IESL Professor A. K. W. Jayawardena.

He was addressing the media last week on the forthcoming ‘Techno 2009’, the annual exhibition that mirrors achievements in engineering and its measured progress. Identified in importance was that the IESL had now evinced development that placed such skills comparable to the best the South East Asian region had to offer.

Meanwhile, President IESL, Dharamasiri de Alwis said the IESL had its inauguration in Anuradhapura in 1906, and now had on role approximately 10,000 members. Engineers being a professional body constantly sought progress in skills to enhance usefulness in engineering technology and in consequence placed high potential on such skills.

The main sponsor of ‘Techno 2009’ is Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobitel and ABB International Marketing Limited.

Present at the Press conference were, Senior Vice President IESL, Professor, A. K. W. Jayawardena, CEO Sri Lanka, Mobitel, Suren J. Amarasekera, President IESL, Dharamasiri de Alwis, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Telecom, Leisha de Silva Chandrasena, Chairman Techno 2009, Kosala Abeysiriwardena, and executive secretary, IESL, Arundathi Wimalasuriya.

Questioned by the press on the possibility of tariff free telephone calls originated by SLT, Chairperson Chandrasena said that possibility is extremely remote because newest rates are the lowest they could operate on and that such phone calls are not possible to be extended to the user base.

Asked about the operative system called Skype, where international calls and those connected to Skype locally could also converse at no charge, Suren Amarasekera said that because Skype are international service providers it is possible they could extend this facility in that context. Pressed for a more lucid explanation, he was vague in his explanation on methodology adopted that ensured end users of Skype could, literally talk for hours with no charge whatever. Except, pay the Broadband rental each month.

Professor Jayawardena, responding to technological advances that locally such progress being behind similar expertise world wide, said the questions is wide in its perspective, but qualified, that expertise is on par with any other similar circumstance in most parts of the world.

At this stage the compere discouraged further questions from the press because he said the stall-holders had to be given some space to ask questions on stall arrangements . That section of the audience, however, remained silent. The media was thereafter discouraged from questioning the members of the head table, having first opened the floor to questions.

The exhibition would be held 9th through 11th October at the Bandaranaike International Conference Hall.

Dharamasiri De Alwis said ‘Techno 2009’ would endeavour to establish stronger dynamic and sustainable links between suppliers of engineering products and services and government Institutions. This would facilitate mutual awareness in resource potential and zero in on needs appraisals.