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Sunday, 10 October 2004  
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Solution to traffic jam on Galle Road

Numerous proposals and suggestions are being made time and again to ease the traffic congestion on Galle Road during the rush hours, particularly in the mornings.

Some of the long-term proposals have ranged from construction of marine drive and overhead bridges to broadening of Galle Road and diverting of railway lines, which no doubt are highly capital intensive on the one hand and eat into the limited land resources of the Country on the other hand.

Some of the recent proposals included, uni-directional flow of traffic from Wellawatte to Fort, staggered office times etc., Unfortunately, these proposals have not materialised ostensibly due to huge costs, practical difficulties, public resistance and inconvenience involved in implementing them.

As a regular traveller plying on Galle Road for the past 10 years or so from Moratuwa to Fort, I have observed a major traffic block from Mt. Lavinia school junction to just beyond Wellawatte, during the rush hour in the morning i.e., from 7.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. As a result, on a working day when schools are also open, the journey from Moratuwa to Fort takes about 01 hour 15 mnts., while a clear reduction by half of the travelling time is observed when schools are closed for holidays.

Recently, when a holiday was declared only for a school in Mt. Lavinia, we could still observe a reduction in travelling time, the reason being that this school starts at 7.30 a.m. whereas the other schools start at 8.00 a.m.

Thus, I would strongly suggest that the school authorities in Mt. Lavinia consider changing their school hours from 7.30 a.m. or 7.45 a.m. if not at 8.00 a.m. In addition, this school may also consider providing an exclusive private transport service on their own from convenient points in Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya or Wellawatte to carry their children to school.

As a result, the parents could save their daily time and fuel spent in transporting their children up to school, while easing the double traffic congestion caused by hundreds of motor vehicles taking one child per vehicle to school and back on the Galle Road.

If the change in starting time and the "exclusive bus" arrangement in particular are implemented successfully, I am confident that this school can boast of being a trail-blazer for other schools located on Galle Road.

Bernard Fernando, 
Moratuwa.

The Thondaman Factor

Thanks, to our Fourth Estate, that we have learnt about the Thondaman - Government Alliance. This was in the arena of speculation for many a moon.

Political analysts have come out with a variety of theories. However, the present writer's main concern is that the people who voted for Thondaman and his political party will not be in anyway subjected to "persecution" of any type.

Why do I say this? It is a well-known fact that no Southern political party can form a stable government without of the minorities. When the minorities do support a political Alliance, they have been "persecuted" by the losing political group. This happened in 1977 after the defeat of the ULF of 1970.

Therefore, I hope the Thondaman Group and the law enforcing state officers will look after the security of those who are responsible for having the Thondaman Group in Parliament.

Furthermore, the people whom the Thondaman Group represents are basically from the plantations.

They are the descendants of those whom the British brought here from South India to work for them on the estates.

Hugh Tinker in his classic work 'A New Kind of Slavery' aptly describes them. Therefore, they are the people who helped Ceylon to earn foreign exchange by producing tea etc.

However, the D. S. Senanayake Government of 1948, in 1949 disenfranchised these people. Political Science tells us that the Father of the Nation, feared the old Left and was of the opinion, that these "Workers" from the South India of British times will participate in the "Revolution" taking place in D. S. Senanayake's beloved Ceylon!!!

For example, Jack Kotelawela won the two member - Badulla Electorate because of the two votes that the workers of Badulla used.

From 1948 to date, these people have suffered in so many ways. Thanks to grandfather Thondaman and his politics, these workers are today a little better off than perhaps in 1948 or before.

The writer is well aware of the lot of these folk, for his late father worked for the British on the estates of Uva.

Therefore, my plea is that whatever political games are played in Colombo, the lot of the folk on the plantations must be looked after.

One writer has called them "the Wretched of the Earth."

Sri Lanka has the moral task of looking after these people also, not neglecting those in the Kandyan villages, the Deep South, the North, the East, the Urban and Rural Poor and All Others in our Land.

Sydney Knight, 
Colombo

Excessive disciplinary action for minor matters in schools

A recent incident prompted me to wonder why (I had known similar ones too) that some students attending school regularly sometimes stay back without going to school. Now, even if there were genuine reasons such as a cold or headache, another terrifying reason is the fear of certain teachers. The question here is: who is a teacher?

Do teachers have the right to legally beat, manhandle, pull ears, slap students etc. Does our law constitutionally permit the beating and pulling up of students for various small matters. And if, the law does not permit such actions, do teachers have the right to do so?

A student I know, age 10, attending a girls' school, for some reason was missed by the van and even though had alternate transport did not want to go late even by 5 or 10 minutes, because of the section head and whom she fears. And in this regard had stayed back home, thus missing a complete school day.

A teacher, in any capacity is an educated person and should not he or she understand better certain factors such as the political and economic situation of our country. No man can foresee the future. So who knows if there would be an unexpected tire puncture, a breakdown, an accident or huge traffic jam. What astounds me most is why these teachers refuse to accept an explanation and let go the matter and try to advice and understand the student. Are not we forgetting our learned proverbs and idiomatic phrases such as, "better late than never" etc.

I personally hated maths during my school days not because the subject will have been of no use but because of the strict teachers that were there to teach the subject. In my opinion, teaching cannot and must not be done with aggressiveness but with love, care and understanding. Moreover, there is the psychological aspect of the individual and should not we forget that it matters a lot!

S. Rajapaksha, 
Mattegoda

New ward for kidney transplant patients

To commemorate twenty years of publication of Vesak Lipi the popular Buddhist digest, in response to the Kandy General Hospital doctors' appeal, I undertook recently, to fully furnish and medically equip an empty ward 70 (c) for post operative care of Kidney transplant patients.

Upto now over 130 Kidney transplants have been performed successfully, at this hospital, whilst the female patients have had only a single sixteen bed ward. With the opening of this female ward there will be fifteen more beds available for post operative care.

Through the courtesy of your newspaper I write to thank several donors who responded to my humanitarian appeal made a few months ago. This new ward now in use as from 15 September, will have 15 beds, a patient trolley, bed side cupboards, a wheelchair, bed linen, a linen cupboard, a fridge, nurses table and filing cabinets and all the surgical equipment for ward work of doctors.

A sum of Rs. 600,000 has been collected and expended to meet the needs of the hospital. I write to thank Dr. Tilak Abeyesekera, Consultant Physician in charge of the Nephrology unit, and the medical superintendent and his staff for helping me to make this project a success.

Upali Salgado, 
Editor, Vesak Lipi Digest

Open letter to the JHU

You should know that those who voted for you are watching your actions ! The rumour that one or two of you are already under the influence of the two major political parties is not good news for us.

You were voted into power to rid the country of corrupt politicians, not to follow their lead. Your agenda, among other things, was to act on:

- the ISGA proposals of the terrorists;

- to vote against corruption. We hear you were influenced by the governing party to desist from voting against one of their notorious favourites;

- the cause of Soma Thera's death. Is it true that the transport expenses of at least one of you are financed by a suspect ?

- We hear of attempts by other politicians to introduce you to the taste of black money of notorious, dishonest businessmen.

- You have not protested against the condition of our monks in the remote areas, nor on the destruction of our cultural, historical heritage by both the government and terrorists.

- We hear the participation of Sihala Urumaya members in TV shows is prevented by you on orders of other political parties, who cannot bear the truth uttered by the SU group. We request you to ensure participation of SU members in all TV debates, which they know how to handle on the basis of truth.

Finally, we ask you to give the SU members a prominent place in all JHU matters. You are there, because they sacrificed their political future for the sake of the motherland, as an incentive to the voters.

Their dedication, commitment and sacrifice of personal gains can never be forgotten by us. We voted you in, because of them ! You can be certain that there may not be another chance !

Sinhala Voter, 
Colombo

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Kapruka

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