|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Monday, 31 January 2005 |
 |
|
 |
Letters | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Sports Obituaries
|
Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Need of the hour: Inland Railway System It is a highly commendable fact that the Government is considering to implement a new rail track as an alternative to the present Tsunami hit coastal railway. It will give a boost for new cities inside the Sri Lanka and it will reduce the motor traffic considerably. That will give rise to inland tourism and will save future rail passenger lives. According to my view, this new railway should be at least 15-20 km into inland and should go up to Kataragama. Rail tracks from Galle, Matara and Hambantota should connect to this main track. Further more, government should pay attention to build new rail track from Colombo to Ampara. This should go via Kottawa, Horana, Ratnapura, Monaragala. This will connect isolated Eastern province to the Colombo. This will ease the transportation of farmer products from Uva, Sabaragamuva and Eastern province to the Western province and develop most of remote and isolated cities in Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Eastern provinces. It is a timely need to make the Kelaniweli railway double track and extend it up to Kataragama. Inland railway system in Sri Lanka should implement with keeping the Tourism in mind. Railway should be the backbone of Tourism. Sri Lanka cannot depend on coastal based tourism. It should be developed. But, Government should consider inland tourism very deeply as it is a viable solution. And, Government as a policy should relocate all government institutions along with new inland railway. This will reduce the population density along the coastal area and only the needy people will remain along coastal belt. Government should give prominence for implementing Railways. Railway is the only solution for rising fuel prices and environmental problems as it replaces a large number of vehicles on the roads. VIJITHA DIAS - I read the interesting article titled 'Wasala Walawwe' by Archt. de Abrew Rajapaksha. A charming picture of the ancestral home shows it standing in grandeur among over-hanging branches. It brought back to my mind the Divuloptiya Walawe we occupied during the 2nd World War. That was a sprawling mansion set within a coconut plantation. The pathway leading up to it had rows of palms on either side and an ornamented wrought-iron gate. The distinctive features of this bungalow were its wide outer verandah with motif-carved furniture including the haansi putuwa a brass betel tray and spittoon beside it. The rooms were spacious with high roofs and broad ledged windows. Photographs in the hall proudly displayed a family collection of 'Muhandirams' in their imposing garb. Sinhalese ladies in lace jackets, long skirts and buckled court shoes reflected the elegant lifestyle of that period. The cavernous kitchen contained all sorts and sizes of earthenware pots, reed baskets, stone grinder and pounder. The dark store-room with its flight of steps lead down to where sacks of rice and cereals were stored. What I fancied most was the country environment with sturdy jak and fruit trees and the sapodilla branches which hid queer ant nests which we learnt not to disturb. On the footpaths of the paddy-field my brother and I would walk until we confronted a lonely scarecrow with his stick body and black painted eyes. We also sat on the bund of the square pond with its cool, greenish water and we both wended our way down to the rivulet with our family of ducks. I believe that we ought to preserve for posterity the idyllic charm of country homes. After all, life is distinguished by its harmony with nature features almost lost now to modern architecture and technology. CARYL NUGARA - Recently I have been appalled by the construction work that is going on in Attidiya Lake area. It appears that the authorities are unconcerned or do not care. The natural vegetation of reeds and grasses has been replaced by artificial grass. The green will soon turn brown when the drought sets in. Why cannot man accept that Mother Nature knows best. Everyday we see examples of man's ruination of this planet. Let the natural grass and reeds grow. They are more beautiful and more suitable to the Attidiya wetlands. No maintenance is needed - no watering, fertilizer or mowing; truly environment friendly. The area around the Parliament is a good example of where nature is allowed free hand and is much more beautiful than what the authorities are trying to achieve here in Attidiya. We have too much of artificial things in the world. Let us get back to the simple things of life. P. SIRIMANNA - Now the time has come for all people to think. The tsunami has done a lot of damages but we should start from the beginning. We should plan well and should forget our political affiliations, caste, class or race. All of us should awake and see what a lesson that tsunami has taught us. Then only will it benefit us. All of us should get-together to build our motherland. Sanjeevani Adhikari Where scientists fail and animals succeed The news of animals and birds moving away from the danger area prior to the tsunami disaster keep coming in various print media. Reference article in DN Jan. 05. I feel constrained to enlighten the readers on a matter of natural disasters and additional mechanism which were mostly focused in various dailies. The tsunami is labelled as a natural disaster whereas there is some divine power which conditions what is called nature's destruction behind every activity in this world. MOHAMED FAROOK - TZU-CHI Buddhist Foundation from Taiwan which arrived in Sri Lanka on December 30 has been helping tsunami victims in the Hambantota district. On January 29 at 8.00 a.m. they were to distribute to victims of 1,490 families of Ambalantota 60 tons of rice, 3,000 ltrs. of oil, 10 M/T of sugar and 3 tons of milk. This was done at Hungama Maha Vidyalaya, Police Road, Hungama at 8.00 a.m. onwards. On January 30 afternoon they were to work at Nimbaramaya, Tangalle Road, Hambantota and distribute to 2,094 affected families in Hambantota 85 tons of rice, 4,500 ltrs. of oil, 13 tons of sugar and 4.5 tons of milk. They have provided tents for 194 families and these include shower and toilet facilities and cooking facilities for those 194 families. They will handover these tents to those families today (January 31) morning with cooking utensils with tables and chairs provided by them. TZU-CHI Foundation has carried out a medical clinic since December 31, 2004 and will go on providing doctors up to the 1st week of February '05. Their clinic has treated over 12,000 patients up to now. Currently on January 29 to 31 there are about 100 to 110 members from all over the world who are on volunteer service taking part in doing this work. A. DE SILVA (VOLUNTEER) - Tsunami has also doomed the exporters It should be clearly understood the tsunami gigantic waves had many soul searching messages to release to all Sri Lankans (high and low) divided into ethnic and religious squabbles. It appears that many people have already understood the messages for corrective and rebuilding action. Unfortunately, we lacked foresight; we should have corrected our drifting course long ago. But mother nature has reminded us by a natural disaster. Added to this unprecedented catastrophe involving countless lives and properties, there are a large number of exporters of Sri Lankan produce who have endured heavy losses. And an equal number had gone bankrupt due to the dollar depreciation consequent to the sudden influx of dollars and foreign currency from unnumbered humanitarian donor countries globally and the international community. The crux of our disorder and whose who bore the brunt were also the exporters who quoted the higher value for their products before the tsunami. As the dollar has depreciated, exporters have lost millions of rupees on their turnover. Some small exporters have closed their shutters unable to sustain the loss. The woe of the small tea exporters deserves sympathy; they are severely pinned to the wall. Importantly, the President and the Finance Minister should look into this serious problem confronted by exporters immediately and compensate the small exporters due to the dollar depreciation on the foreign sales orders. It behaves on the Finance Minister and the Central Bank to control the dollar exchange and interest rate immediately to overcome this problem. No time should be wasted in trying to solve the matter. Another point, the VAT should be withdrawn forthwith as there is adequate foreign currency in the Cental Bank, I guess, for another five years henceforth. This matter befalls on the Finance Minister and the Commissioner, Inland Revenue Dept. The benefit should go to the people. Instead of oil, we have a large number of dollars; so say adios amigo to the VAT and other arbitrary taxes levied by the State Agencies on exporters, importers and the people to lessen the impact on COL. H. L. D. E. PERERA - Tsunami one month on: letter from Portugal January 25th: I looked up into the sky yesterday evening and saw the full-moon, another Poya day in Sri Lanka, I said to myself. My mind immediately went back to the Poya day, December 26. It was Christmas day and my family and I were celebrating Christmas with the owners of our cabana on a beach near Tangalle. It was a beautiful night. We could clearly see the two rabbits dancing in the moon. Little did we knew what was to follow the next day. We have been back in Portugal for nearly three weeks now. Not a day goes past without us thinking of the people of Sri Lanka and the many friends we have there. Tonight we will light a candle for those who perished. Tomorrow the children will be at school and my wife and I will be at work, but at 9 o'clock we will stop and have our own quiet minute's silence to remember those tragic events and to whisper a prayer. HENRY WARREN - |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
