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I read with interest the news story (DN 18.7) that the Commissioner
of Motor Traffic is considering to simplify the present cumbersome
procedure involved in the registration of new motor vehicles.
The proposed method is to get the agents themselves to certify the
data relating to the motor vehicles they have sold and to do away with
the practice of departmental officers certifying them over again after
inspecting the vehicles.
It is common knowledge that this practice had exposed the vehicle
owners into unnecessary inconvenience, expenses and delays in getting
their vehicles registered. It has also led to corrupt practices said to
be indulged in by some officers in the department involved in this
process.
I am told that even after the entire procedure has been gone through,
a certain gratification has to be palmed off to certain officers in the
registration branch to get the number plate immediately.
I hope it is not true. Those motor vehicle sales officers attending
to this work at the vehicle importing firms would know better.
The new procedure proposed seems to be the same as that which existed
in the distant fifties when the writer first joined the public service
as a clerk at the Dept of Motor Traffic.
The office was at the Eye Hospital Junction those days before we
shifted to Narahenpita somewhere in 1958.The writer served as the new
registrations clerk for sometime. The procedure involved was very simple
then.
The agents would send the relevant application (MTA.1) duly certified
by them with the necessary stamp fees (Rs. 10.00) and signed by the
owner. The Chief Clerk of the department after scrutinising it would
assign the number immediately and pass on the papers to the registration
branch for necessary action.
My job was to write the relevant registration certificates (those
booklets), enter the data in the motor vehicles register, write and
despatch the relevant advisory note to the Govt. Agent of the area where
the vehicle is to be usually kept and post the certificate of
registration to the owner.
All this work done manually (writing, checking, signing by an Asst.
Commissioner and the despatch of the registration booklet to the owner)
did not take more than a week.
In fact the time limit set for this work was two weeks and we used to
get about 15-20 applications daily because motor cycles and cars were
registered under one series those days.
If any undue delays were observed, the subject clerk was sure to be
hauled over the coals.
Of course I was never found to be remiss in this regard. The work
proceeded smoothly without any bottlenecks. My contemporaries most of
whom must yet be around would bear me out.
The new system that is proposed to be introduced thus seems to be a
re-incarnation of the good old system which was changed and made
complicated over the years.
It serves to prove that the more things change, more they remain the
same.
P. G. A. HENRY,
Matara.
If the contents of the article on the above subject appearing in the
Daily News of July 5 are factually correct, we fail to understand why
some trade unions are engaged in a vigorous campaign against the
proposals made.
It is common knowledge that employees in the Government sector
strongly resist privatization of their establishments.
However, in this instance, when privatization is totally blocked by
statute, and in the absence of any proposal that could be harmful to the
workforce in the future, we have to arrive at the only conclusion that
the declaration of war by the unions is politically motivated.
A sound management practice demands that the main functions of an
industry should be separately managed.
This is the practice adopted the world over, including Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, the C.E.B. is going to be managed by three separate
Government Owned Companies in respect of Generation, Transmission and
Distribution of power. This change is essential. On what basis can
objections be raised?
In this regard, it has to be emphasized that the most urgent and
critical issue, only second to the ethnic problem prevailing in this
country is the irresponsible trade union actions particularly in the
essential services, resulting in untold hardships to the people. In the
recent past, the worst offenders were from Health and Transport sectors.
Now, it's going to be the Electricity sector, threatening a total
countrywide blackout. Can any responsible Government permit a small
section of the electricity industry to hold the entire country to ransom
due to political affiliations?
Enough is enough. For the sake of the country and its people, the
Government should rapidly evolve a judicially recognized course of
action to ban wild cat strikes in the essential services, mainly water,
electricity, health and transport.
A. S. C,
Kotte.
Any living being has a natural fear for death, whether a human being
or an animal the fear is no difference. But the picture of this society
shows that animals are senseless creatures who don't sense or feel.
That is extremely pathetic. Killing animals for flesh is done in the
most barbaric manners. Selling meat in public adds more barbarism to the
whole picture.
The decision taken by the government to ban the selling of meat in
public is appreciative. But it's very sad to note that still the
business is done in public more leisurely. For instance in Katubedda
junction, no one can evade the sight of selling pork.
It's so pathetic to see the whole animal lying there, head being
separated from the body. I cannot even imagine how people continue to do
this type of barbaric action!
It's highly ironical that in Sri Lanka how cows are being
slaughtered! At least there should be more humane ways of doing so.
If one can continue eating meat even after seeing how an animal is
killed, it's hard to define that person as a human being. The misery,
pain and the suffering the animal has to go through is so sorrowful.
I have often seen when travelling how poultry is slaughtered in front
of the buyer. I wonder how these people observe the killing of the
animal, going home and making a curry out of it.
When they haven't sympathy for animals can they have any for humans -
no way. That may be the reason why there are many human killings in
society. If they can sense the feelings of animals, they can sense the
feeling of their own kind.
Therefore kindness to animals can promote a hatred free atmosphere
among people.
I can remember Sir Arthur Clarke's book 'Deep Range' that people will
stop eating meat in the coming century. As many of his predictions are
coming true, I really hope that this will come true soon to see a world
free of barbarism.
SARASI WETTIMUNY,
Kalutara North.
Israel is destroying Lebanon. It has no right to do so.
Children, women, innocent civilians are being killed by the Israeli
attacks. Entire families are being chased out of their home villages.
Bridges, roads, airports, ports, highways, energy plants and
communication networks are being pounded to the ground.
The whole country has been cut off from the rest of the world.
We, Lebanese people, are sad, we are suffering, we are angry, we are
determined and mobilised to work together towards saving our nation.
Israel's initiative is an unfair disproportionate collective
punishment inflicted upon Lebanon for the wrong reasons: what is
happening today goes beyond the issue of a prisoners exchange.
Neither the government nor the innocent people of Lebanon had been
informed or agreed on the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers.
Lebanon is in despair: it's a humanitarian and economic disaster.
We call for an immediate cease-fire under the auspices of the UN,
We call for the establishment of the government's sovereignty on all
Lebanese territory in cooperation with the UN,
We call for your help to pressure Israel to stop its attacks.
Help us achieve it as soon as possible.
So that Lebanon will survive.
NADER RAYDAN,
Lebanon.
Nobody has explained how the CEB is going to be successful after the
proposed reforms are done when the reformed CEB is also going to be run
by the same officers who are responsible for its present plight.
Deshapriya Rajapaksha,
Colombo 6.
It is good to see politicians of different parties come together even
if it is in support of citizens of a foreign country who are being
indiscriminately bombed and killed.
It is a shame these same politicians cannot that come together for
the betterment of the citizens of our country. I have not seen any of
these people send a joint statement to the LTTE to stop killing the
innocent citizens of our land.
Good job for Lebanon shame for silence and inaction for the citizens
of Sri Lanka. Really we all must start looking past religion and race
when we act.
S. KARUNARATNE,
via e-mail. |
