Commendable ambulance service

Reference the article about the new ambulance service which is in operation in the south, I think since most of us lead luxurious lives, we do not see the pathetic situation of the people who live in remote areas.

Due to the undone work or dilapidated conditions of the roads, even a three-wheeler cannot reach a patient in these areas. In the event when a pregnant woman or a critically ill patient requires transport, it is a nightmare.

The government has taken timely action to ease the difficulties of the public. The immediate service of ambulances is commendable.

I hope the other provinces too will commence this service immediately.

Jazeema Jaldeen,
Raddolugama.

[Citizen’s agony]

ATM that freezes on weekends

The Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is a blessing no doubt, in these tech savvy times, dishing out money whenever you need. But, the ATM at a leading state-owned bank at the Angoda Junction, is just the opposite!

Last Sunday morning, after working till the wee hours of the previous night, I shot up from bed when it dawned on me that visitors were expected to spend the day with us.I dashed to the ATM, a quarter kilometre away, before the fish stalls run dry, but all that I got was the (usual) shock, the indicator reading, ‘Closed for maintenance’!

The alternatives were the ones at Kaduwela and Kolonnawa, but I had to abandon the idea, weighing the agony of travelling in a bus on a Sunday morning, crawling and pausing at every lamp post and staying put at major halts (weekdays no better!). A good part of my Sunday morning would have been spent dozing in a bus.

A familiar shopkeeper in the area, realizing my plight, after one look at my unusually grumpy face, suggested that I try the ATM at Kotikawatte, that of another state-owned bank. But, I was reluctant to transact business with unfamiliar machines, remembering my sister’s plight before her flight back to the UK, some months ago, when the ATM of a different bank ‘swallowed’ the card, perhaps due to a mix-up of unfamiliar buttons!

This is not the first experience for me with this particular machine. My return home empty-handed, and to hear my home folks echo - “We told you so” (you know what I mean), made the situation even more miserable.

Relating the story of my pathetic weekend to my colleagues, the following day, they too cried in unison pointing out that several ATMs of this state-owned bank’s branches in the heart of the city of Colombo, invariably moves into ‘Maintenance Mode’ from Saturday morning to Monday morning.

I trust this grievance of the needy public, is looked into by the higher-ups of this financial institution which has been winning accolades, not only during their record-breaking over three-quarter century of service to the nation, but also in the very recent past.

- A. D. C.