I have to pick a bone with the Maharagama Municipal Council as I have
personally written to the Chairman and repeatedly phoned the UC office,
to bring a simple matter to their attention and consideration.
Meemanagoda Road off the Pannipitiya – Kottawa Road remains horrible
compared with the surrounding roads in the area, which are either
concreted or carpeted within the frame work of the Rata Neguma programme.
The reason for this particular road to be isolated and neglected in
such a backdrop remains a mystery. During rain fall, puddles of muddy
water make it inconvenient for anyone to use this road. Motorists have
to pay massive bills to get their wheel alignments adjusted constantly
after falling into pot holes or going over sharp edges on this road and
damaging their vehicles. Pedestrians have to leap like frogs from one
mound to another due to rain water collected in pot holes.
Time and again, following complaints of residents' associations,
council officials have visited, measured the road and submitted
estimates. Even a backhoe loader was brought and sections of the road
were cleared giving some hope to residents in the area but the
unfortunate state still remains. Recently piles of metal and earth were
unloaded giving yet more hope to the residents but after a month or so
the metal with the earth mounds disappeared. Finally a lorry (unknown)
had come and removed the residue as well.
When the chairman's office is contacted the stereotype answer is,
“Can you send your complaint by a fax?” But when reminded that not only
a fax but even registered post letters had been sent their answer is,
“That is not the only work we have to do”.
Why is the Maharagama Municipal Council asleep? For how long is this
council going to play the same music one wonders. The Maharagama
Municipal Council gives the impression of being a deaf elephant and to
paraphrase it with a local saying: Beeri alinta veena gahanawa weni
wedak (Like playing a a violin to a deaf elephant). Who is to be blamed?
Is it the council or the contractors who have been authorised to repair
this road who are turning a blind eye? And what is the big secret of
isolating and neglecting a single road while all other by roads are
concreted or carpeted? When residents pay substantial amounts of money
as council tax, surely aren't they entitled to make their voice heard?
Disappointed Resident - Kalalgodaa
Walks to educate the public and to collect funds :
There are a few things that happen when organizing a walk to educate
the public and to collect funds, with organizers not realizing the
inconvenience caused to the public who undergo harassment because of the
so called walk. Some salient points:
1. The inconvenience caused to the public by the road blocks/ traffic
jam.
2. Billions of man hours lost during peak work hours.
3. Millions of liters of fuel burnt
4. Millions of dollars in foreign exchange the government has to
spend to import oil.
5. Global pollution due to the traffic jam to let jovial walkers get
by.
6. If the organizers and the people who take part in the walk, and
the people in the motorcade that follows, collect that money they spend
and waste, I am sure they will be able to collect more funds than what
they would have collected by the walk, and do justice to the countrymen
and the environment, and educate more people .
It is the responsibility of the organizers to request the media along
with the education department (schools) to give due publicity to the
importance of the cause (of the so called walk) e.g. cancer prevention,
dengue, aids etc. etc. This way I am sure more people will see and be
aware -- than the few people who would have seen the walk, only to curse
the organizers.
With big matches taking place, the Principals of all schools also
please note.
H. G. Mount Lavinia
In common with all other citizens, I too suffered from the nearly
thirty year long terrorism which was completely wiped out due to the
firm stand taken by our leaders.
Since 2009 various parties have been agitating to investigate war
crimes in this country. Crimes against civilians, accepted international
treaties and so on and so forth.
However in all these agitations one thing I cannot understand is why
they are asking for investigations into the crimes committed during 'the
last phase of war'. That obviously is because the terrorists got
hammered in the last phase till they were completely eliminated and the
war was ended. That was at great costs and sacrifices of course.
If there is need to investigate war crimes, such investigations
should be conducted from the initial stages of the war, from the time
terrorism started in this country. All those who were responsible for
the killing of innocent unarmed civilians directly or indirectly, should
be punished. The investigations should start from the murder of the
Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duraiappah.
The LTTE was responsible for killing innocent civilians in thousands.
People who were worshiping, engaged in day to day activities, civilians
going to work or returning from work, Buddhist monks in temples, were
all massacred. Child soldiers were recruited from schools and poor
families in the Peninsula and used as cannon fodder. Many thousands
became destitute.
A President, many political leaders, a Prime Minister of India were
all killed. People who provided support to the LTTE should be held
responsible and accountable. If such investigations are made, surely
India would be on the top of the list for providing all assistance,
training, financial backing, hideouts and what not to the LTTE.
If such investigations are initiated, we would see the hunters being
hunted. As citizens who were subjected to enormous hardships due to LTTE
terrorism we should agitate to investigate the crimes committed by the
LTTE and initiate punitive action against their creators, God Fathers,
white washers and mouth pieces. Let them start from the first crimes
committed first and the last phase last.
D. Fernando – Moratuwa
Toilet facilities in the Colombo Public Library provided for members,
non-members and the public who visit its auditorium for various events
are extremely poor. When entering the toilet area itself, a nauseating
smell emerges due to its unclean condition. Further, of the two
florescent lights, only one is working while the wires of the other is
to be seen. Who removed the bulb, the case and the holder is a question.
The urinals emit an unbearable ordour. Why cannot some air fresheners be
provided and the toilets kept clean?
There are four water sinks installed but all the taps fitted to them
have been removed. Hence the supply of water is cut. Who removed those
taps? If this was on the streets, the CMC would accuse the kudu karayas.
Whose work is it inside the library premises if not for culprits of
the CMC itself? Steel taps should be fitted and welded. Even inside the
toilets, the taps have been removed and water is running.
A tap is available outside the building however with an ugly moss
grown tank beneath it, while the CMC talks about cleanliness.
The canteen is meant for all visitors. But one has no place to sit
and have one's food and drink. This is because all the tables and chairs
are occupied by students. Some are found reading, some writing and some
chatting. Amongst them are love couples who could very well use the
adjacent park.
The authorities should not allow them to continue occupying the
canteen for hours and the students should be asked either to go to the
reading rooms of the library or to the lawns. The security guards who
keep chatting in the security room should be instructed to visit the
canteen often and chase them away.
Some tube lights in the newspaper section are fused and it is
difficult to read the newspapers in the dim light.
It is common that no immediate replacement for fused bulbs is ever
done here. Is there no responsible officer to see to all these
shortcomings in this big and popular library?
Nazly Cassim - Colombo 13
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