APPRECIATIONS View(s):A pioneer linking engineering, ecology, and human habitatsD. L. O. MendisEng. While the nation looked toward the project for rapid modernization, he cautioned that ‘accelerated’ engineering often bypassed ‘deliberate’ ecological wisdom. The creation of the Ceylon Engineering Service (CES), now the Sri Lanka Engineering Service (SLES), on October 1, 1971, was a landmark achievement for which Eng. Mendis was the primary architect behind the establishment of the National Engineering Research and Development Centre (NERDC) of Sri Lanka. When a proposed multinational mining project threatened to destroy the ecological and social fabric of the North Central Province, Eng.

Source: Sunday Times January 03, 2026 18:59 UTC