Citizens' mail
Having read the Daily News Provincial Edition June 1, I write this.
I lodged a complaint in a Police Station close by to Nuwara Eliya on
June 28, 2006. The Inspector to whom I complained got it recorded by a
PC and the Inspector gave me a date for the inquiry. I turned up on the
due date and was informed that the respondent party had not come. The
Inspector fixed another date.
On the second day fixed for the inquiry, the respondent was present.
He had brought three witnesses, one of the witnesses was his cousin.
This cousin of his happened to be a close relation of the Inspector. I
overheard very clearly the discussion among them, where I learnt of
their relationship. No inquiry was held. He fixed another date for the
inquiry. The Inspector informed me that one of the witnesses was not
well and could not come and fixed another date. On this day the
respondent did not come and none of the witnesses were also there.
I visited the Police Station on 21 occasions only to get evasive
replies from this officer. I complained this to the Headquarters
Inspector but it was of no avail and a complaint to one of the ASPs too
was of no use. Thereafter I decided to write to the IGP on November 21,
2009 addressed personally. This was not replied or acknowledged. The
subject of my letter was 'Justice Denied'.
I wrote to the Personal Assistant to the IGP. This too was under his
personal name. I got no reply to my letter.
Finally I asked the postal authorities what happened to these letters
and the Postal Department confirmed that both letters were delivered to
the addresses.
If the two cops have been interdicted while sleeping I wonder what
awaits the Inspector who has been hibernating for over four hours.
K.H. Dayaratne
Bandarawela
The long awaited report by Lord Saville on the attack by the British
Army against the civil rights marchers in Londonderry over 38 years ago
has been published recently. During that attack on civilians, the
British soldiers had killed 13 Catholic demonstrators, one of whom had
been killed while running away from the soldiers while another had been
shot dead while crawling on the ground to flee from the shooting.
Altogether 13 Catholic demonstrators had been shot by the British Army
on this bloody Sunday. It had taken 22 long years to prepare the report
and it has been the most expensive report in the British legal history.
Please compare this with the situation in our Motherland Sri Lanka,
when 300,000 or more civilians escaped from the brutal clutches of the
terrorist Prabhakaran and entered the areas controlled by our Army and
had we fired even one gun shot and hurt even one person, what reaction
it would have set across the entire 'civilised' world including Great
Britain, the United Nations and Naveen Pillay herself?
It is well to recall the experience that we had in Sri Lanka, when
the innocent civilians, among whom were the maimed, the old and the sick
and women and children, escaped from the clutches of the brutal
terrorists, one or two terrorists dressed in suicide kits underneath,
walked with these innocent escapees, with the intention of blasting
themselves and killing the innocent civilians and creating chaos for the
valiant, dedicated, humane soldiers of our Army. What if at least one
person had died or was injured as a result of the blast by the
terrorists fleeing among the innocent escapees? How would the
international community have reacted to it, including, to repeat, Great
Britian, the UN and Naveen Pillay herself?
The report by Lord Saville is indeed a tribute to the valiant Armed
Forces of our Motherland Sri Lanka, who fought against the most gruesome
terrorists in the world, without hurting or harming a single civilian
man, woman or child.
Ananda Dharmapala
Nugegoda
There had been no development work done by the authorities to
Mahanama Road, Panadura for the past 10 years, inconveniencing
residents. There are about 20 houses where mostly professionals dwell
and it is a stretch of only 200 metres, which connects new Galle Road to
the old Galle Road. This road could be considered a vital passage for
motorists and pedestrians to go across from the old road to the new road
and vice versa. In addition buses of route number 142/2 from
Moratuwa-Panadura ply on this road.
This should be stopped immediately and an alternative route such as
Galle Road should be suggested to ease the traffic congestion at
Mahanama Road. The students and parents of Lyceum and Leeds
International Schools and St. Johns Primary and Mahanama Vidyalaya
utilize this stretch as their most convenient access road.
The value and service rendered to motorists and pedestrians by this
road has been ignored and neglected by the authorities is indeed very
pathetic to understand. This road although not motorable is utilized for
convenience by over 500 motorists who ply on this road daily despite the
pot holes which are found in abundance on this road, which is now not
conducive at all to motorists owing to its dilapidated condition.
Another hazard is the flooding of houses after heavy showers of rain,
which is due to the absence of a proper drainage system. The drains have
not been cleaned for some time, which creates this situation. It is time
that attention is focused and drawn to this severe drawback the
residents face and immediate remedial action is taken to bring redress
to them who are all taxpayers. AR
Residents of Pothupitiya, Wataraum Road, Delgashandiya, Katuwangoda,
Pushparama Road are inconvenienced due to frequent power failures.
Trees fall on the high-tension lines and three phase lines due to the
heavy winds these days and power failures are a common occurrence. This
situation could be avoided if the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) takes
steps to lop the trees which come in contact with the overhead high
tension wires and three phase lines.
The lives of people too are at risk as people could be electrocuted
as a result of these overhead wires falling on the ground. There is also
damage to electrical equipment as a result. This area comes under the
CEB at Panadura.
M Somadasa
Pothupitiya
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