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The new Minister of Transport has found the world’s most unclean
railway station on a recent visit to railway stations in the island.
I think the Minister may not be aware, it is the only country in the
world where bus races are held on a daily basis, the competitors being
public transport service and the private bus operators - the former
being the loser most of the time losing a considerable amount of revenue
to the SLTB.
It is happening everyday on our roads jeopardizing the lives of
passengers and other users of the road.
In addition, they sometimes don’t stop the bus at the bus halts to
take in passengers in a hurry to overtake the other bus.
Recently on two occasions, the bus in which I happened to travel met
with an accident and a motorcyclist was seriously injured on one
instance and in the other, fortunately for us it fell in to a ditch
preventing a head-on collision with a lorry.
It is high time at least the new Minister of Transport takes measures
to put an end to this bus races and provide a safe transport service to
the public.
U. MUNIDASA - via email
I have read with interest the letter from Rita Perera that appeared
in the Daily News of February 27, regarding the so-called travails she
experienced at the Indian High Commission in Colombo.
According to my own experience, there are much less problems and
hardships if any at the Indian High Commission in Colombo when one
visits the place to get a visa for India.
I wonder if Rita Perera has visited the so-called visa offices of
European countries located in Colombo? At these offices, one has to go
as early as 4 or 5 am to get a place in the queue.
The visa application fee runs into thousands of rupees and it is very
likely that your visa application is rejected at these so-called visa
office itself even before it goes to the Embassy of that particular
country.
The security staff at the Indian High Commission in Colombo are
polite and impartial. Last week when I went to get my visa I arrived at
the High Commission around 9 am and was allowed to enter the premises
immediately.
There were some people gathered outside who were not visa applicants,
but those who had accompanied the applicants.
Once inside the premises I observed a line of people, but all were
under a canopy and not exposed to the sun.
A dwarf man who went along with me was singled out and sent straight
to the visa counter, I presume because he was differently abled.
While standing in the queue, I observed a Sri Lankan gentleman who
was in tie and coat, and who had about 4 to 5 passports in his hand.
This man spoke to the Sri Lankan policeman who was there, who allowed
him to proceed to the visa counter by-passing those waiting in line, but
an Indian security guard was quick to spot this and asked him some
questions and politely told him to take his place like others in the
queue.
Everyone of us in the queue was very happy about the action taken.
I must also mention that there is a tea and coffee bar inside the
premises where one can quench their thirst by buying a drink.
I reached the counter and paid the visa fee of only Rs. 310, and was
out of the premises by 11 a.m.
It had taken only two hours to submit the visa and make payment.
We must be happy that the Indian High Commission is able to process
500 applications a day and have it ready the same evening compared to
Western countries.
TILAK FERNANDO - Colombo 6
According to a recent shocking news report, a student has been
brutally attacked by a group of students of another leading school in
the area.
A statement given by the victim clearly states that the attackers
have used a device to stun the victim thereafter had attacked to cause a
high degree of injury all over his body.
What really stuns the public is the device used could be a stun-gun,
a weapon used in many countries by the defence personnel to control
rioting, bring down attackers and ladies carry them for self defence.
It is for the first time a crime has been committed with such a
weapon, unfortunately the culprit involved is a college student, even
before the underworld gangsters or terrorists can get hold of such a
weapon.
The incident reveals that stun weapons have been smuggled into the
country through the sea or airport and the attackers have access to the
weapon dealer to procure one or more.
The report also says the attackers have been identified but no prompt
action has been taken by the Police to arrest them, inaction by the
police causes the public to think that the attackers hail from highly
influential politically connected or business tycoon families.
NAHEER TAIP – Wattala
Telecom sells its CDMA fixed wireless phones offering a lifetime
warranty, which one expects to include a good after-sales service too.
Relying completely on this assurance, I bought a set about five
months ago from the Teleshop in Slave Island linking it to the network
from my residence in the Gampaha district, which area comes within the
administration of the Regional Manager, Gampaha.
Since I bought it many persons who had been trying to contact me
complained that they found it extremely difficult to get through to the
number, either because the voice was garble or the network recording
always saying ‘network busy’.
I telephoned the Regional Office many a time to complain regarding
the matter as requested by the Teleshop in Slave Island, but each time
when asked for the Regional Manager, I was told he is either out or busy
at a meeting, which is what one always being told when one tries to
contact an executive of the Telecom, in any of its offices anywhere any
day!
However, the complaint was entertained by a female who assured that
the matter would be attended to. Except for a person, said to be from
Veyangoda, who telephoned several weeks later, and that, too, after many
calls given as reminders, enquiring what the defect was, and being told
of it saying that he would come but never came, the matter lies
unattended to yet.
Instead of my waiting like the fox for the fruits to fall, surmising
that the fault may be in the antenna, I fixed an antenna improvised by
me to a window and with a thin wire connected it to the antenna that was
provided with the set, and the problem considerably eased as a result.
What is most regrettable in this instance is that the personnel at
the Regional Office were completely indifferent to pursuing action on
the complaint in spite of several reminders, not even caring to find
whether anyone had visited the place.
In contrast is the excellent after-sales service provided by Lanka
Bell who attended to a similar fault in a neighbour’s telephone no
sooner than the complaint was made.
Telecom must take serious note of its extremely poor after-sales
service, particularly in view of their lifetime Vouch of Warranty on the
sets, and set apace offering a more vibrant and dependable after-sales
service to its customers.
Otherwise, I regret to mention, that before long they might lose
their two million customer base and may even have to face legal action
filed against them for a reimbursement of the cost of the sets.
W. D. WICKRAMASINGHE – Kalagedihena
There is so much of crime in the country because our laws are
lenient.
During the times of the Sinhala kings, criminals were hung, spiked,
drowned, trampled by elephants, their two legs were tied to arecanut
trees, which were then cut down. Some Rodiyas are boasting that they
have royal blood.
That is true when Ministers and kith and kin of the kings turned
disloyal, the kings drove them into the ranks of the Rodiyas, which
punishment they considered to be worse than death.
Even today in Saudi Arabia, the right hand is cut off for theft. It
is said that merchants there go to the mosques without closing or even
locking the doors of their shops and when they comeback, they find
absolutely nothing is missing.
In Ireland, Canada, Australia, Singapore and India, very stringent
laws have been enacted to deal with the criminals. In Singapore, the
punishment for persons, who possess guns without a licence is death.
In Malaysia any one who possesses a gun without a licence would be
sentenced to death. But in Sri Lanka, a murderer may be responsible for
the deaths of many ‘homo sapiens’ but he would be rewarded by giving him
free board and lodging at Free Boarding House, till his death. O tempora!
O mores!
SOMAPALA - Ratmalana |
