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Better rail transport service under Railway Authority - Manatunga

by Sarath Malalasekera

The main reason for the promulgation of the Railway Authority was to strengthen the administration of the Railway service in order to provide a better service to the public, newly appointed Chairman of the Authority Hema Manatunga to the Daily News yesterday.

Minister Tilak Marapana met representatives of trade unions of the Railway Department and explained to them that although privatisation was the policy of the Government, under the Railway Authority it was not intended to privatise the Sri Lanka Railways, Manatunga said.

Allaying fears that the Government was intending to hand over the management of the Railways to a company or to another body, the Chairman of the Authority said that Minister Marapana had stated that there was no truth in these rumours and that the management would rest only with the Authority.

Chairman Manatunga said that the Authority, being vested with wide decision-making powers was in a better position to find quick solutions to hitherto unsolved issues of employees as against the Railway Department.

The Authority Chairman emphasised that under the Act employees with not less than eight years of pensionable service on the appointed date could join the Authority or decide to draw the pension and leave the department. Others with a lesser period of service could leave the government service and join the Authority. All employees were free to continue as an employee of the Railway Department and not join the Authority.

Manatunga said that the government expected to obtain necessary funds to overhaul the track and add sufficient carriages and locomotives to provide a satisfactory train service to the public and added that the Authority intended to pay special attention to improve freight services in order to improve revenue and to collect rent from those persons who were in occupation of railway land.

The Chairman said his main intention is to involve the employees of all levels in seeking solutions to improve the services. He also welcomed the views of the train travelling public.

Manatunga, prior to his new appointment, as the Railway Authority Chairman, served as the Chairman of the Railway Management Council as well as the Chairman of a three member Committee appointed by Minister Marapana to look into ways and means of improving the train services.

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