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| Tuesday, 25 May 2004 |
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by Ranil Wijayapala The Railway Authority will be scrapped. All its powers and functions will be handed back to a more strong and vigorous Railway Department. This will be done in a manner that facilitates the implementation of proposals aimed to develop the Department as a viable institution, said Transport Minister Felix Perera. The Minister said this in reply to a query by railway employees when he attended the annual general meeting of the Lanka Railway Guard's Association at the Mt. Mary Hall, Dematagoda as the chief guest Saturday. The Minister said the Railway Department ran at such a loss that the Government had to provide Rs. 350 million monthly for its upkeep. "Therefore Railways had to be transformed into a viable institution which would not be a burden on the State in the future," he said. He would request railway unions and employees to forward proposals that would make it possible. If there were sound proposals forthcoming from unions and their membership, the Government was willing to accommodate them, the Minister said. Perera said there was no need for trade unions to resort to strike action any more to win their demands. He as Minister was always prepared to solve their problems through dialogue. That is why he had reserved every Friday for meeting Trade Union representatives. The Government always wanted to give prominence to the development of Railways due to its capacity to transport a heavy passenger load at a given time. What was needed was to ensure people's confidence in the Railways as a punctual service. The Minister who said that development of the Railway Department was gaining his priority attention, added that one option was to give added emphasis on goods transport in addition to passenger transport. Steps will also be taken to modernise railway stations and set up super markets in central stations to boost revenue and provide a better consumer service to the train passengers. The Minister said the possibility of reviving the Talaimannar rail service was gaining serious attention and he had even discussed it with the President. The Railway Guards Union President D.J.P. Welikala and Secretary W.G.M. Karunaratne also spoke. |
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