On the right track

Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has underlined the importance of the country’s train service in the passenger transport sector. In the send off ceremony for the newly acquired Chinese locomotives with the Ruhunu Kumari Minister Alahapperuma said he was planning to re-energise the country’s train service and make it more popular with the commuters.

The Minister no doubt will have his work cut out given the state of affairs in the Railways which he inherited. Today the Railway Department cannot cope with the demand of the heavy volume of train commuters and it is a common sight to see trains - especially the office trains spilling over with passengers endangering life and limb.

Add to this is irregular timetables which often result in commuters turning violent and frequent derailments. The trade unions too add to the chaos turning the Railway into a sick giant.

Minister Alahapperuma who is known as a go getter should get down to brass tacks and find a way of hoisting the Railway from its present state of deterioration. A huge shake up is called for encompassing all its spheres if the service is to be restored to its once elevated standard.

The Minister should also try to ascertain the reasons why the Department is in the red and measures taken to turn it into a profitable venture. While adding to the existing compartment capacity is welcome, much more needs to be done to pull the railway out of its sorry plight.

There is no gainsaying that our Railway network should be modernised in line with some of the Asian Railway systems. There was much talk about the introduction of electric trains for intercity travel. Although the cost may be prohibitive this could solve the huge traffic congestion in the cities while also arresting smoke pollution.

There have been many rail track extension projects on the drawing boards but no headway has been made. Our trains still operate on the same rail tracks constructed by the British with hardly any expansion. The Minister should also try to make use of the vast extents of Railway property that are lying idle.

A Task Force of experts should be appointed to identify the ills affecting the Railways and a blueprint drawn for the overall development of the service.

Testing times Down Under

All Lankan cricket fans will wish Mahela and his boys the best of exchanges against the mighty Aussies in the two Test series that gets under way down under early next month. The Sri Lanka team took wing to Kangaroo land yesterday with hopes of ending the barren run of the Lions in five away series in Australia.

Come November all Sri Lankans will be glued to their television sets lapping up the fare as the Lankans attempt to get the better of the World Champions in their own den.

No one can deny that cricket has been one of the saving graces for Sri Lanka where our boys have matched the best in the world.

The exploits of our willow wielders had earned for the country much encomiums and placed it on the world map as perhaps no other field of endeavour. Who would have imagined some decades ago that Sri Lanka will enter the big league of Test cricket and clash with the giants of the game. It is in this light that all Sri Lankans owe a debt to late Cricket Board President Gamini Dissanayake whose 13th death anniversary falls today.

If not for his efforts, it would taken several years more years before Sri Lanka entered the Exclusive Club. The country was fortunate to have had such an individual of suave brilliance in Minister Dissanayake who successfully advocated Sri Lanka’s cause before the mandarins at Lords for the country’s inclusion as a Test playing nation, at a time there was stiff resistance by the cabal of white nations to delay our entry.

Had he failed at that time our cricketing progress may have been put back by many years and denied us the place we currently enjoy on the world stage -not to mention a World Cup victory.

This Australian tour also assumes significance to all Lankans for the eagerly anticipated world Test wicket record breaking feat of Muttiah Muralitharan who had been at the receiving end of Aussie fans during past tours.

It is also in Australia that Murali was humiliated and labelled a thrower which nearly put paid to his career. In addition it is an Australian who holds the record which Murali hopes to break. All this make up for a heady cocktail of a pulsating series which would have not only Lankans on the edge of their seats but also the riveted attention of all cricket playing nations.

During this brief two weeks Sri Lanka would no doubt be on the world radar because of just one individual. It would therefore be fitting if Murali achieves this landmark on Australian soil where he could rub the nose of his tormentors.

The tour is also projected as one where the Lankans could have their best chance yet for chalking their first ever Test victory Down Under, giving the contest an added edge.

All in all it would be a most absorbing Test series which would see most offices empty and life in general come to a standstill.