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On one side the newly formed Marine Drive is neatly carpeted and
vehicles can travel at high speed. Yet on the other, the turning circle
at that point is not proper, and vehicles tend to move away from the
centre of motion, with an acceleration of mv (2)/r. m = mass of the
vehicle, v = velocity and r = radius of circle.
In this case, r is lesser than the acceleration and also the
centrifugal force which is given by f = ma, increases.
The way to rectify this is by increasing r, the radius. This can be
done by broadening the Station Road from the northern side, at least by
8 to 10 feet. Hope the RDA and the relevant authorities will take notice
of this.
Rev. P. Shihan L. Fernando
At a time when one hears of frequent lapses on the part of those
responsible to uphold law and order in the country, be they of omissions
or commissions I would like to send this appreciation about an incident
that our family had to experience recently.
This particular incident of theft took place on April 20 when our
recently employed maid robbed most of our jewellery worth nearly eight
hundred thousand rupees from our house. Completely taken by surprise of
this unforeseen development and in total desperation, we lodged a
complaint at the Borella Police station hardly expecting any recovery of
the lost valuables.
However, within five days of this complaint the Police were able to
trace the suspect, with just the contact number we had given them. It
really was unbelievable when I was informed that the suspect had been
arrested with most of the jewellery and all this within a week of the
robbery.
I am fully convinced that it was the untiring efforts of the OIC -
Crimes IP G.S. Hewavithana and his dedicated team under the able
guidance of ASP Jayarathna attached to CCD and the OIC - Borella Police,
CI Anurudda Bandaranayake who took prompt action which made it possible
to trace the suspect and the jewellery, most of which had already been
sold to various parties.
I wish to bring this matter to the notice of the IGP and others
concerned, as officers of this rare calibre deserve a special
commendation and are truly an asset to the Police Department.
A grateful citizen
Begging in trains and buses still continue unabated, although
newspapers reported some time back, that begging has been stopped in
public transport systems.
This begging take numerous forms. Certain people can be seen carrying
little children in their arms and pleading for monetary assistance to
cure them of a supposed ailment or disease they suffer from. It is said
that in certain instances these children are drugged or doped, which is
a crime in itself. Some distribute printed leaflets in buses and trains,
forcible dumping them on the laps of commuters and collect the
contributions of the passengers along with the leaflets.
Yet another set rushes to motor vehicles no sooner they stop at
traffic lights, and beg for money, tapping loudly on closed glass
windows to attract the attention of the driver and the other travellers.
In most cases these beggars are not genuine which mean that the
contributing people are only being duped. That begging is done by
organised gangs in the city is no secret now. In any event, it is high
time that these types of begging are wholly eradicated in public
transport.
Harshi Nadie Perera
The rapid and continuous declining of farm gate prices of coconuts is
causing serious concerns to the growers.
Although representations have been made since October 2011 to the
authorities concerned, no positive steps have been taken to rectify the
situation. During the low-crop period, that is, November to January, the
grower should have got a high price whereas it was at a very low level.
At the Colombo Coconut Auction held on May 14 the average traded
price was Rs 20.92 and the lowest was Rs 18.50 per nut.
As a result the farm gate price will be between Rs 16 to Rs 18 per
nut which may be just adequate to cover the cost of production.
The effort made by providing subsidized fertilizer to boost coconut
production will get nullified if this trend tends to continue. May I
therefore appeal to the authorities concerned to give this matter early
attention.
J.V.R. Dias
The Review System (RS) has been introduced now in cricket, but not
for all matches. The introduction of the RS by the ICC is a welcome move
because at times a player may be pushed into mental agony because of a
wrong decision of an umpire. A batsman knows well that it is not a leg
before wicket and to the umpire’s eyes too it is the same, but due to
excessive appeals at times it is ruled as out. The opportunity of the RS
is limited to both teams and after that a player become helpless because
of an incorrect decision.
The RS should therefore not be limited but more chances could be
given, subject to a penalty, say of four runs. A batsman should know
well that he is not out and then call for the RS. If he is actually out,
an additional four runs may be given to the fielding team as a penalty
for his RS call. For that matter let anyone call for the RS at any
situation and if it is proved to be wrong, let him be fined four runs.
By this system players will be cautious in making unwanted appeals and
embarrassing the umpires as well. Wrong decisions of umpires, though not
done willfully have spoilt winning matches, hurting the team and the
country concerned very badly. After all, man is to err.
Last but not the least let the Asians learn from the Englishmen to
clap their hands and applaud the batsmen for their boundaries and sixes
as that is sports, though the intention should be that their country
wins. Any game in sports should be enjoyed not grudged.
Nazly Cassim
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