Government is fully committed to provide all the necessary assistance to the construction sector, which is a vital component the country's development drive, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open the 'Construct 2010' exhibition at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Hall this morning.

"Sri Lanka could reach many milestones in the construction sector blending our traditional now how with the modern technology. Examples set by our ancestors helped us in our forward march in this valuable sector", the President said.

President Rajapaksa also expressed his confidence in getting everyone's support who are engaged in the construction sector in increasing the contribution made by the sector to the GDP.

'Construct 2010' is organised by the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL) bringing together building materials, building services, construction equipment suppliers and manufacturers with a number of other service providers such as telecommunication, insurance, banking and finance.

Started in 2001, the event is to take place for the 10th consecutive year.

The Construct 2010 exhibition is also show case a 'Display Pavilion' of the massive construction projects which were undertaken by the troops of Engineering Services of all three forces - Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Air Force.