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I would like to draw the attention of the authorities to the plight
of the aged pensioners who languish in their homes without sufficient
sources of income to run the rest of their life with their wives and
children.
If the pensioners are reinforced by the incomes derived from their
sons and daughters through Government jobs, they can happily manage the
inflationary situation in Sri Lanka.
Therefore, the far-sighted President with his humanitarian Chinthana
thinking can take into consideration the priority of job opportunities
to the sons and daughters of the poor pensioners - especially teachers.
I found several pensioners are frustrated because lack of financial
support from their grown-up sons who have failed to find suitable jobs
in the Government or private sector.
In finding a solution to this pressing problem of unemployment, the
Deputy Minister of Tourism Al-Haj Faizer Musthapha has helped several
poor pensioners' families by providing jobs in the sectors of education
and tourism.
May other Ministers too sympathise with pensioners' families.
M.Y.M. Meeadh
Kandy
The feature on the Hamilton Canal by Ganga Pradeepa (DN Jan. 16) is
not only historically interesting but adds to our economic growth even
now.
Most of the British companies used the waterway to build desiccated
coconut and oil mills on its bank in the Chilaw and Puttalam areas where
the heart of the coconut triangle lies. The railway line was also built
on the banks of the canal at many places as seen at Nattandiya, Lunuwila,
Bolawatta and Kudawewa. Copra merchants also set up trading
establishments in areas like Lunuwila, Nattandiya and Madampe to deal
with the large scale buying and shipping of copra to Grandpass, Colombo
the end of the river in Colombo where they held large stores complexes.
The canal is now used as a refuse dump to send refuse water from large
scale prawn farms in the Puttalam district.
Nevis Fernando
Nattandiya
Reading the above titled letter I find the writer has misconceived
the whole concept of laying flowers at the feet of statues. The idea of
laying flowers at the statue which is of symbolic importance to the
follower, is to remind ourselves of the impermanence of life. The flower
replete with fragrance, colour and quality withers, and similarly this
body of ours too, withers and decays, and that is the universal truth.
Is there anything greater or truer than that.
If we are truly conscious of this noble truth, hatred and ignorance
that reigns in this world will vanish.
Offering flowers at a little cost, is socially and spiritually a much
better act than two sects of the same religion killing each other,
murdering the innocent girls attending schools, destroying the schools
which admit girls intolerance of a semblance of any other religion in a
country where one religion is dominant.
Offering flowers becomes a waste of money only when the worshippers
do not follow the above universal truth which is true of everyone
irrespective of what one believes in. How innocent, simple and clean the
mind becomes when one offers a flower to the symbol of the one who
discovered the truth of this worldly life.
E.M.G. Edirisinghe
Dehiwala
It was reported that the railway plans to speed up its journeys.
It was however ludicrous to read that it intends reducing delays by
25 per cent and derailments by 50 per cent. In other words present
delays will continue to remain at 75 per cent and there will be no
guarantee of safety in travel if derailments are to be reduced only by
50 per cent.
The proper course of action will be to take steps to eliminate delays
and to prevent derailments altogether by studying the root causes which
cause those. I hope the Transport and Railway Department officials will
look into this problem.
Merril T. M. de Silva
Moratuwa
Very often, the conductors of private buses do not issue tickets. As
a result, I have noticed that they request for money again from the
passengers who have already paid the fare.
This sometimes makes the passengers angry and they start berating the
conductor. But, what I am trying to convey here is how the bus crew
outwits the officers deployed to fine conductors who do not issue
tickets.
Before the bus approaches the place, where the officers are lying in
wait to catch and fine conductors who do not issue tickets, the driver
of the bus coming in the opposite direction gives a cue to the other bus
driver about the ticket cop and then the conductor immediately starts
issuing tickets and thus avoid getting nabbed by the checkers.
I would like to suggest that for the ticket checkers to catch them
red handed, they have to be mobile and not get themselves stationed at a
regular place or at locations convenient to them. Only by being mobile,
the ticket checkers will be able to outwit the conductors.
Mohamed Zahran
Colombo 3
If you are so unfortunate as to have contracted the low habit of
smoking be careful to practise it under certain restrictions; at least,
so long as you are desirous of being considered fit for civilized
society.
The first mark of a gentleman is a sensitive regard for the feelings
of others; therefore smoke where it is least likely to prove personally
offensive by making your clothes smell; then wash your mouth and brush
your teeth.
Ananda Wijayaweera Ratmalana
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