• Travails of a motorist

• The news that shocked the world

• Escalating student violence in schools

• Billboard jungle

• ‘Ananda ruggerites assaulted, two in critical condition’

  
   

Travails of a motorist

Before I share my travails I wish to place on record my thanks to the Pettah Police who were on traffic duty in Borella and because of their vigilance defused the cycle bomb. I am sure all of us would like to salute them for this excellent work.

Also to place on record my thanks for the new parking law in Colombo, which has been done thanks to the high security situation in the city. We can now travel without cars being parked either side of the ‘narrow’ Colombo roads. I hope that this will continue to be the law of the Police. Please do not succumb to the possible pressure that can be exerted on the police by party politicians, the business folk, etc.

In the midst of this good police work in Colombo, there are a few travails. Specifically:

1. We seem to have a few drivers/riders who break the speed barriers. These include motorists, motorcyclists, drivers of big buses and three- wheelers. It is very frustrating when they speed and also move from lane to lane to get away.

2. Lanes - Despite clear indications, motorists largely ignore lanes. On the Parliament Road to Kollupitiya, it is indicated that traffic should fall in line on different lanes. This does not happen, hence the slow traffic at some points. Because of the school, the hospital and the roads entering the main road, traffic movement is hampered.

Also, on some roads the signs indicate three lanes, as on the ‘narrow’ road from the Golf Club Roundabout to Kollupitiya, which has those turning right to Borella; going straight to Kollupitiya and turning left to Narahenpita. Then, passing the old CISIR, those turning right to Bambalapitiya, going straight to Longdon Place and turning right to Kanatte.

3. Poor drainage and potholes - After heavy showers, some roads get under water. Also some roads have potholes.

The above-mentioned are some travails. There can be others. It is a matter for those in local government and central government to rectify these. Of course, because of the so-called Liberal Democracy and the Open Economy, we have too many vehicles on our roads, of all sizes and shapes. Looking at the vehicles on the roads of the city, it is difficult to say that we are a developing country.

Singapore and India are countries from which we should learn lessons. Of course, if our public transport system is what it should be, then some of us may not use our private vehicles. Our SLGR and the SLTB are in such a bad state! Hence, the monopoly of the private bus owners. So, Minister Fowzie and all those responsible for these travails should take note of what the ordinary person goes through.

Sydney Knight
Rajagiriya

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The news that shocked the world

New York is a city which all Americans are proud of. They took pride in the fret that twice in its history it had the world’s tallest buildings, first the Empire State Building and second, the World Trade Centre.

It was another Tuesday morning. Most of New Yorkers were engrossed with their daily activities. Thousands had gone to their respective offices in the skyscrapers scattered throughout the city. Many went to their offices early to avoid the customary morning traffic and were busy at work sipping their morning coffee.

Four planes left America’s well organised, well equipped and modern air port. It had only been a year since the American Airlines industry had renewed their fleet of planes.

Some of the old planes were sold to developing countries while the rest were used by the mighty American Airforce for target practices. Each of the ill-fated planes had a gang of terrorists and they eventually took over the planes displaying their skill in hijacking.

They soon converted these giant internal flights into deadly missiles which were set on route to their intended targets.

Two of the planes commanded by the terrorists ploughed into the World Trade Centre, the most visible symbol of Manhattan. The ‘twin brothers’ who were the cynosure of all eyes for many tourists, children and architects were razed to the ground.

The dust and concrete engulfed the surrounding buildings, more or less looking like a pyroclastic cloud for many geographers.

One of the planes rammed into the Pentagon and the other one deemed to divert in another direction as the passengers retaliated. It is believed that this plane was headed to the White House.

According to the media 24,000 people were evacuated from the Pentagon but the number of people in the WTC is still to be ascertained as there were hundreds of tourists and firemen in the midst.

Soon after the planes had hit the WTC, the firemen and the rescue workers had rushed to the devastated scene.

Many ran into the building and snaked their way through the terrified people fleeing the building in a state of bewilderment and panic fashion.

Without warning the building collapsed as the tremendous heat created by the airliners’ fuel tank softened the metal infrastructure.

Reconstruction of the affected building may have caused a fortune.

It might have dented America’s pride but this great country still remains as the supreme world-power.

REVATHY GNANASAMPANTHEN
Colombo 3

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Escalating student violence in schools

For quite sometime now, we are witnessing a disconsolate and deplorable sequence of nasty events in not only universities - defamed as often feuding trouble spots - but also in lesser academic institutions and even in provincial schools where a state of indiscipline, conflict and thuggery is seen to be gathering momentum, to the consternation of all those associated with the educational system.

These upheavals seem to have exacerbated the incidence of violence and turmoil we are experiencing in these troubled and chaotic times.

The emergence of unruly behaviour and hooliganism among school boys not only outside the school in the streets and public conveyances but in the precincts of the school itself has reached such unmanageable proportions, that very recently a city school principal is reported to have been assaulted by a gang of his own students when they were admonished for some of their misdeeds.

This frightening situation of defying authority and insubordination is becoming almost epidemic in its occurrence - spreading to remote school areas too, as seen by a succession of recent aggressive incidents. The authorities - both educational and administrative - will have to view this rather alarming situation with serious concern and take effective remedial measures to curb escalation of student unrest and thuggery.

Some unconcerned onlookers might say that these are worldwide occurrences and it is the fault of the times and would reason out that indiscipline, thuggery, extortion, violence and lawlessness are the order of the day in most areas and such anti-social evils would spread into the school system too, which cannot any longer hold on to a water tight seclusion.

Whatever the origin or the cause, the gravity of the extant situation calls for immediate practical and effective reformative action.

If counselling and advisory methods fail - since they have miserably failed so far - to remedy the lawlessness, severe police and legal action should be resorted to as these misdeeds and juvenile thuggery cannot be dismissed merely as adolescent pranks or misbehaviour.

In the past we have seen exuberance of boyish pranks on big-match days only, and excesses were manageable and amenable on the intervention of the relevant authorities. In universities and similar institutions, class and social differences, inequity of economic standings seem to have caused envy, frustration and feelings of inferiority complex amongst some of the student sectors.

Certain rebellious political party advocates have formed their own factional revolutionary units among some of the economically and socially disadvantaged student groups, spreading ill will and dissension among them. Consequences of their rivalries are what we see and encounter in the prevailing scenario of student conflict.

In the sports field too, antagonistic rivalry among the students and spectator crowds has reached an alarming situation.

R. M. A. B. Dassanayake
Matale

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Billboard jungle

The letter on the above subject by N. Amerasekera (Daily News, Sept. 11) asks for stricter control over the construction and placement of billboards. His objection to them is that they block the view of the natural environment.

He is not concerned primarily with the quality of the message on the billboard.

To me, however, the quality also matters.

In nearly all of them the purpose is commercial, advocating implicity a way of life that goes with man-made wants rather than with natural needs.

I for one do my best to avert any view of these billboards and rotating spectacles.

I do not know whether there are occasional boards for cultivating a better way of life.

V. BASNAYAKE
Colombo 4

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‘Ananda ruggerites assaulted, two in critical condition’

The above titled news item published on DN Sep. 8. Does this really happen in Sri Lanka? Do we need this additional to what is going on in general?

Oh! where has all the common sense of our parents gone? I am confident, it would have been mostly parents of the students who did this? How does one handle situations like this, when an innocent player is attacked?

Thank God they were not witnessing the Pakistan-England recent cricket match at the Oval.... with all the ball tampering! Wake up people, these are our children, no matter what!

NINA HARIM KAMAL
via email