• Business of Banks on New year Day

• Super-duper Dehiwela Post Office

• Cattle slaughter

• Bus route no. 198

• Aruppola Municipal Quarters for sale?

Business of Banks on New year Day

The New year period is an extended holiday for most employees in most institutions. Even domestics are sent home for this occasion.

But the New Year Day which normally falls on April 14 is one occasion on ONE DAY of the year at ONE specific time. On this day most important institutions run with a skeleton staff voluntarily from those who do not take part in the New Year.

However I am disappointed to state that most of the big Banks have now thought of this day for a business gimmick using the excuse 'Ganu/Denu'.

They are enforcing their employees to work on this day thereby depriving fathers, mothers, sons, daughters and maybe grandparents from being together on this cultural event of ours which has been coming down for so many years.

Why can't they do this 'Ganu/Denu' activity on the following working day? I am sure all those who come to the Banks on 14th have already done their Business ganu/denu, and are going to various Banks to collect the various gifts offered.

I have been a Banker myself and have requested/ordered employees to work on New Year to comply to a management decision. However I have always objected to the idea.

Now I am an Ex - Banker and able to write this letter to the authorities concerned to please allow families to be together on this auspicious day and times by ordering the New Year Day as a COMPULSORY HOLIDAY and allow the Banks to do their business if necessary on the next working day.

They will not lose many deposits by doing so. There are so many other ways for Banks to compete with each other.

I have heard of a severe tragedy which occurred on the 14th due to this foolishness of working on holidays when even bus services are not available most of the time.

Important institutions such as Hospitals, Observatories etc., have to be run with skeleton staff and back up where necessary. 'Ganu/Denu' by Banks do not come under such necessities.

I was compelled to write this letter when I visited and saw the tears of family members who were unable to share the auspicious times with their loved ones together.

E. B.,
Kotte.

Super-duper Dehiwela Post Office

It was just a year or two back that a chance meeting of a group of us Dehiwela residents did compromise totally that we were lucky in having such an improved and modernized Post Office, starting from the approach with all the much cared for and manicured garden plants and to entry proper to confront a very sleek and smart Office 'lay-out' along with a civic-minded staff and new manager.

Believe me, as affirmed the staff works on planned staggered hours minus the extra money to be of real service most of the day, which I personally experienced/benefited trying to beat the mailing 6 p.m. deadline collection.

I was also happily aware that one needn't hop from counter to counter for stamps. This indeed is a great 'break-through' from archaic age old procedures.

Stationery from pins to paper clips, wishing cards, etc. to even a copying machine are at one's disposal.

Even pasting stamps, letters, etc can now be done in a civilized - manner - a small prim brush is available. Most Post Offices have stubs of ball point pens and hands are greasy, messy with curses all round.

W. MEADOWS,
Dehiwela.

Cattle slaughter

This is with reference to the letter in the Daily News of March 17 with the above caption by Tuan Riza Rasoof of U.S.A. in reply to a letter on this subject by Chandani Samarasinghe.

I agree with his contention that there should be no ban on the slaughter of cattle not for the reasons he gives; but because in the first place, it is undemocratic and more importantly, anyone who professes to be a Buddhist the five precepts, the first one of which is voluntarily undertake not to take life in any form, impliedly the opposite of which is that that person cultivate the four boundless qualities of Mettha (Loving kindness), Karuna (compassion), Muditha (sympathetic joy) and practice these virtues in thought, word and deed: Then such a person would not strictly eat meat, fish or poultry.

There is however, a degree of difference in the feelings between cattle and many other animals when considering the anxiety and fear of losing their lives as one sees the resistance cattle display when driven to slaughter.

They have to be dragged, mercilessly beaten, in some instances the legs broken and with tears in their eyes when they are bound and laid to slaughter.

This fear is very much more as in human beings now being indiscriminately slaughtered in some countries.

T. R. R. has cited the authority of Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamsa and also Kingsley Heendeniya to make out that the Buddha had not prohibited eating fish or meat with exception that monks should abstain if they are not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for them.

T. R. R. has not taken into consideration the context and the background in which the Buddha made this exception.

This was over 2,500 years ago when people living in those times, their diet mainly consisted of meat an fish and when monks went on alms-round from their temples, they had to take what these folk offered them lest they starved apart from disappointing those folks who made these humble offerings.

(This did not apply to the layman) As for the adverse effects of eating beef, there is scientific evidence and T. R. R. has conceded this.

It should be now clear that the banning the slaughter of cattle is not the answer for Buddhists; but to abstain from eating beef which will result in fewer slaughter of cattle and also better health.

There are many vegetarians and Veges living healthy lives depending for their protein needs mostly from plants.

Tissa Amarasekera,
Kandy.

Bus route no. 198

This is with reference to Dr. S. Mahadeva's letter April 17. His suggestion to extend route no. 141 via both ends as far as from Nawala to Panadura through Narahenpita and Galle Road is a matter for favourable consideration.

However I wish to draw the attention of the authorities concerned that as suggested by me in my letter (March 30) if the service on route no. 198 is resumed, it will also be of immense benefit to children attending St. Paul's, Milagiriya and Isipathana Vidyalaya apart from other passengers who may proceed to Narahenpita and Nawala as this service operated via Dickman's Road.

H. W. Goonesekera,
Panadura.

Aruppola Municipal Quarters for sale?

This is with reference to the letter to the Daily News of 03.04.2006, on the above subject by one AO who with pseudonym has apparently transformed himself/herself to AE has now again has changed the initials and has repeated the contents of his/her earlier letter of 04.04.2005 expecting the lapse of 9 months might cause amnesia in the minds of the readers.

The reply to the his/her earlier letter giving the actual position was published in your paper on 11.07.2005.

To recapulate in brief:-

These houses were not built by the Municipality by obtaining a bank loan

The land in which these houses were built did not belong to the Municipality but purchased from National Housing Authority.

These were originally given as staff quarters to ten officers.

There is precidence that the KMC has transferred municipal quarters to the officers.

Other municipalities have also granted houses, lands, stalls to people by selling or leasing these properties.

The KMC by resolution on two occasions had decided to sell these houses to the occupants (vide 9 (57) of 23.02.96 and 9 (55) of 30.10.98).

A certain TU filed a case in the Kandy High Court to obtain a 'Certiorari Order' against the sale of these houses. The case was dismissed.

We hope these 'writers' will not wait for a lapse of time to mislead the public and authorities again.

P. A. W. KAHAPOLA,
Kandy.