Pedestrians sandwiched

by Afreeha Jawad

In some instances today, one encounters security checks obstructively positioned hindering even those that regularly take their constitutional. If you are one of those obsessed with your evening walk down McCallum Road or what in post colonial times is called D. R. Wijewardene Mawatha, certainly not to your liking would be a polite request however polite it may be coming your way to cross the road on to the opposite side and indulge in your fancy past time.

So what big deal? You may ask. On that side, the once bad pavements have become worse what with the monsoonal rains lashing across the country - blessing to farmers and a curse to pedestrians. Pavement slabs seemingly on a mocking spree is where the death knell tolls for any jaywalker. Adding to all this misery are the giant rainwater puddles which, beneath its collected waters would entertain some exposed manhole, gully or perhaps some rusty iron scrap. Looks like these days it's far better to write your last will before setting off from home considering the grave risks one is exposed to everywhere apart from what is under discussion.

Now it brings to writer's mind how some have even become walking dispensaries what with all that kind of stuff so very helpful should you run into some unexpected, miscalculated misadventure. The little bag tucked inside the bigger more sophisticated one carries a little bit of relief giver - Eau-de-cologne, some finger-sized herbal oil bottle, balm, panadol and so on.

Adhering to military requests, however polite they may be and interrupting that jaywalk by crossing over to the other side (politics apart) its best I repeat to make sure of your last will. In fact many have even experienced nasty falls complying with security requests. This then is not to blame these guys but a call to repair the damaged road and pavement on the other side to make easy what in presently pedestrians' burden.

Whatever has been the fate of this country's rule of law for the past three decades, State laws are expected to be, in terms of security, subject to rigid implementation.

But then, in the face of inadequacies on the road opposite the high security stretch where you are expected to continue with your walk, which State authority would take on the blame should you suffer some mishap?