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In today’s society vehicles are no longer considered as luxuries,
unlike the good old days. On the contrary, vehicles today are an
essential ingredient in the life of any person.
Despite various accusations and allegations about the ever-rising or
we may term it ‘sky-rocketing’ CoL, there is no visible reduction in the
import of vehicles to Sri Lanka. It is very rare that we see cars older
than No. 300 or No. 301 in the city roads. About 80 per cent or more are
latest cars and English numbered cars.
The country spends a good majority of foreign exchange in the import
of cars and other vehicles. It is near impossible to get a used or
second-hand car in good condition for less than a million and a half in
today’s market.
Since vehicles are a very expensive commodity, it is equally
imperative and a necessity indeed to maintain them in good trim always.
Therefore, vehicle washing, detailing and lubricating services are
equally essential.
We are told that over two million vehicles are now plying on our
roads. The country which has only about 35,000 kilometers of motorable
roadways. It need hardly be stressed that the vast majority of our roads
are not in the best of shape - either broken at various places, with
pot-holes and other obstacles causing damage to the under-carriage and
sometimes even the body.
Service Stations at strategic locations, easily accessible and with
sufficient space have to be set up all over the country to maintain
these vehicles in proper order.
Our Local Authorities have categorised certain areas under their
jurisdiction as ‘purely commercial’, ‘purely residential’ and
‘residential cum commercial zones. A service station must necessarily be
set up either in purely commercial or residential cum commercial zones
very well maintained.
They use two unit electric jacks for hoisting cars for lubrication
service and under-carriage washing. Unlike the traditional hoists, these
are very clean, makes no noise and easy to operate.
This may probably be the only vehicle service station anywhere in the
island which do not use hazardous chemicals, penetrating oils or
kerosene.
They use harmless, odourless shampoo and foam spray to wash and
service vehicles. They have installed a Water Treatment Plant, where the
waste water is re-cycled and re-used. Only the excess water is
discharged into the public drain which too is harmless, according to
authoritative reports.
This is one service station that is maintained spot-clean, regularly
swept and cleaned and all solid wastes collected to their own cans and
delivered to the garbage carrier of the Kaduwela Provincial Council.
Its landscape, road-frontal with foliage and flowers grown adds
glamour to the area which was hitherto full of shrubs and a breeding
place of mosquitoes.
It would be good if the Central Environmental Authority lay specific
standards as above for vehicle service stations. Car detailing works too
should be specified to use internationally accepted popular products
which are harmless to the environment and do not emit any odour.
NIHAL ALUVIHARE
Hearty cheers are due to the officers and other ranks of our Armed
services who have been fighting against LTTE terrorists in the North and
East to preserve the Unitary State of our country.
They have battled for the sake of the country for the last three
decades without proper food, water and medical treatment at times, as we
have read in the media.
We bow our heads solemnly, to these gallant men from all the services
who have laid down their lives for the sake of their countrymen.
L. LEKAMWASAM LEANAGE – Ambalangoda
The dark clouds are gathering in the far horizon. It signals an
impending disaster. It’s up to the brave and intelligent to take
precautions against them without wasting time and making way to worries.
The fuel prices are skyrocketing and with that the prices of goods go
up everywhere around the globe. Nobody can escape from the monster. But
we can take precautions.
Give a boost to the handloom industry, which was very popular among
the rural masses a few decades back. Most of the villagers had their own
handlooms at home.
They weave clothes when they were free. But with the introduction of
the free trade policy in the latter part of the 1970s, handlooms were
looked down upon, despised, condemned and neglected. And let it to die
and untimely death, money hungry unscrupulous hands began to import
things.
Local industries began to sing their last songs. But today things are
quiet different.
People are looking back to find solutions to double edged problems
they have been facing. The handloom industry had come to the forefront.
Handloom clothes can be sold at an affordable price to the people
because the cost of production is low.
The State should give a helping hand to give a new life to this
life-saving industry.
Have weaving centres in each and every village like in the past, and
encourage people to go for handloom materials.
Take the father of India, Gandhi as a role model. He move his own
clothes, and set and example to the nation. Start from the top go for
handloom clothes, at least for official ceremonies and occasions.
Give the schoolchildren handloom materials and make the industry a
success. Lip service cannot solve any problem.
Long live the handloom industry and give a hand to grassroots level
suffering masses. ‘Rome is not built in a day”.
D. M. P. B. DISSANAYAKE – Kegalle
In the investor bulletin of December 2007 the Chairman of Sri Lanka
Telecom has stated that the book ‘SLT and 150 years in Telecom’ was
launched to celebrate the achievements of 150 years of telecommunication
in Sri Lanka.
This claim is rather improbable considering the fact that the
telephone was not invented until 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell
obtained his patent. Will any reader clarify in which year the telephone
came into use in Sri Lanka?
C. RUDRU – Wattala
After a lapse of few months, I parked my car at the Nugegoda market
to buy a few items. I completed buying my requirements and as usual when
the parking attendant came over I gave him Rs 10. It was a man and not
the usual girl in a green dress. He told me, it is Rs 20 now and not
ten.
As I was surprised at the 100 per cent increase in parking fees, I
questioned the parking attendant and he told me that the car park is now
given to a private company to manage.
You come to the market to buy your daily food stuff, what else? It is
not a place for recreation? This is a thoughtless manure to bring
further burden on the household food costs.
What about our private sector super-markets, they do not charge a
parking fee for your household marketing.
Doesn’t the Council receive a rent from all stall-holders in the
market, to maintain the building?
This looks a way for someone in the relevant Council to get a
commission or an outright payment by giving this to a private company to
handle. The poor girl attendants, seems to have done away with, and
their livelihood shattered. Besides how come you increase the fee by 100
per cent?
Trust the Minister under whom this local authority market is
functioning will take appropriate action and help the consumers even in
a small way.
A. JAYASEKARE - Nugegoda
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