Streamlining garbage collection, our priority - UNP team leader for Kotte Suraj Jayasuriya

By Manjula FERNANDO

UNP team Leader for Kotte Suraj Jayasuriya says Kotte Municipal Council is in deep financial crisis due to mismanagement and corruption. He appeals people to vote for UNP to eliminate corruption and vowed better living conditons for low income groups in an interview with the Sunday Observer.

Q: Kotte is going to be the administrative hub and many ministries are in the process of moving their offices to this area. This is going to be a second Colombo. Space management, transport and Waste management together with the problem of flash flooding are the key issues of the Municipal Council. As far as these concerned if the UNP comes to power what is in store for Kotte voters?

A: As far as the garbage problem is concerned, there were about 15 trucks and 100 workers to collect the garbage in the territory. when the UNP took over in 2002 the entire Kotte was a garbage dump. There was no proper system of collection and dumping. Then we raised about 1.2 million and handed over this duty to a private company - the Abans. Then it went on very smoothly.

Subsequently when the UPFA came to power, they discontinued the Abans contract and appointed some bankrupt company to collect garbage. They spent over 7 million on this job but the garbage collection was not properly done.

Then the MC decided to split the duty between itself and this company. Kotte side was given to the same company and the Nawala side was cleared by the Council. This is an utter waste of funds. But even with this new arrangement, by today, for five days they have not collected garbage.

We plan to streamline the garbage collection by dividing the municipality area into ten wards.

The current resources in the Municipal Council are more than enough to handle the garbage issue in the Kotte MC area. The MC says there is a collection of 120 tons per day but this is far from the reality, actually we have only less than a collection of 70 tons of garbage per day.

The existing number of workers and the 12 trucks currently owned by the MC is sufficient to do this job.

The same company has been given a contract to brush the roads in the Kotte MC area.

I don’t think a single person has seen the roads here being brushed by that company. Those funds are being swindled.

It is rather economical to buy a brushing machine and employ a person to man that equipment than spend 3.5 million a month on that company which is not doing any job.

The main problem facing the MC now is lack of funds. The MC is so bankrupt due to corruption that it cannot find funds to pump fuel for the official vehicles.

This is the real issue why garbage trucks won’t do their rounds. They cannot afford to pump diesel to the garbage trucks.

Q: What is the situation with the floods?

A: We need a proper waste water disposal system. Canals that collect excess water from Kotte area dispose their water into the sea near the Savoy Cinema. Kotte is a low lying area, due to pressure from the sea, this disposal system is ineffective. What we need to do is build a basin like the one in Beira Lake near Galle Face. This will help reduce the flash flood threat in Kotte area.

Q: What is your solution to the transport issue? There were UNP and UPFA regimes in the MC from time to time but still the traffic congestion is there and it is getting worse by the day?

A: At the Welikada Junction, the traffic lights were put up sometime back. Then even before a month passed, the road was widened, and the lights had to be removed. That was a waste of funds. This shows the disorganised manner in which the development projects are being handled.

An over head bridge in Welikada is a must. There may be issues about the standard of these bridges but like in Nugegoda, we need a overhead bridge to ease traffic congestion near Welikada police station. There was talk of an overhead bridge coming up there but now everyone seem to be quiet.

Q: The opposition says there are a lot of corruption charges against the MC?

A: The person who has been charged with corruption is also running for the MC elections under the UPFA ticket. There has been a lot of corruption involving the roads development, vehicle usage, etc. The MC has spent only 200,000 on dengue prevention. No new projects have been implemented though the dengue prevalence is high in the area. Garbage collection is another major racket.

The Municipal council at present is facing a major financial crisis and even paying the salaries of the workers has become a problem.

Q: What is the situation of shanty dwellers. What will you do to uplift their lives if elected to power?

A: The canal running through the Golf link is now being dredged. Many shanty dwellers complain that their houses have been damaged by these projects and nothing has been done.

This area belongs to Colombo MC. My point is all the canals in the Kotte municipality area is also going to be dredged in the same way. Many houses of low income groups will get affected by these projects.

That is the reality. We cannot stop the cleaning of the Canals. That is necessary to prevent flash floods in the area.If we get elected to the MC, we will fight to get these people alternate housing facilities before land occupied by low income groups are utilised for development activities. I will vouch for that.

The Kotte Municipal Council boundaries – The bridge near McDonalds, Rajagiriya - The bridge near the Parliament - Railway Avenue - Nugegoda junction from Nawala side.