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| Sunday, 6 October 2002 |
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Letters |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Panama beach - no longer a paradise This letter is to draw the attention of the state agencies, to the destruction that is taking place in some of the most beautiful places in our country. My visit to the East Coast after 30 years, namely Pottuvil, Panama and Pasikuddha saddened me tremendously: the once serene and scenic land, disturbed and ruined by evil man. As a young officer in the Air Force, at every available opportunity I used to visit many isolated villages in remote parts of the country. The jungle, the people and the wildlife fascinated me. I used to carry with me and read the recordings of early travellers and government officials, who had taken great pains to describe the life that existed in such areas. What I read and what I saw are so vivid in my memory. Today all that is no more. Recently I visited Panama. We left Colombo at 11 p.m. via Moneragala and reached Panama by 7 a.m. This once isolated village was active with many vans carrying visitors from the South. The little kovil at Kumana was celebrating its annual festival. Pattiniamma kovil was overflowing with people. Right along the road, there was human pollution - polythene from meal packets thrown by visitors was an eye sore. The barrier at the entrance to the Yala Park is no more, giving uncontrolled access to the Kumana Bird Sanctuary. I saw no birds worth mentioning. It was a solitary wild elephant that kept the visitors at bay. If not for the elephants, the damage to the environment could have been much worse. I saw few bullock carts transporting timber, causing suspicion that it was illicitly felled. Kudumbigala Hermitage is deserted except for five resident monks who told me that a 'hippie' couple was occupying one of the abandoned 'Kuties'. A sorry state of affairs indeed. Panama sea beach remains undisturbed: paradise on earth after sunset. The many private 'resorts' that used to be, are all in ruins. Heaps of rubble are the proof of buildings which had existed earlier. A solitary building recently built is the only one in the vicinity. A vast stretch of coastal belt, in fact the coastal reservation, from Kuda Kalli to Arugam Bay has been encroached and ugly shacks made of cadjan are found all along the coast. This stretch of the beach cannot be walked on due to human waste. There's no clean water and no toilets. A three-wheeler driver befriended by me lamented at the destruction of the environment, blaming the local authority for the damage to the sea front. The boutique keeper whom I spoke to also agreed with this view. They said that in the past, government officials had visited these areas frequently and enforced the law. Now no one comes, even on holiday. If this state of affairs continues the beach will be lost forever and thereby affect people's livelihood. The journey took me further north to Pasikudah where I have spent many a night camping on the beach. What a pathetic sight to see. Not a single building except the Rest House which is now an Army camp. According to a local fisherman 'in those days we earned enough from visitors', now it is not so. This place had many hotels and facilities for sea bathers. Most of them were looted by big mudalalis from as faraway as Samanthurai. There were about fifty vehicles that had brought visitors from various parts of the country, parked on the land that used to be the Tourist Resort Complex. Now it is a waste heap. The local authority charges a parking fee. All what I saw was pollution - polythene and more polythene. There are no toilet facilities for the visitors: a few shrubs in the vicinity provided that facility. Being a nature lover and on behalf of many others who share my view I appeal to the local authorities, the Tourist Board, Coast Conservation Board, Environmental Authority, Wild Life Dept to visit these areas without delay and see for themselves the damage that is being caused, due to the non-enforcement of the law. It is not too late. Nature destroyed is never replaced. Please act now. Wg. Cdr. S. R. "Rampant dishonesty in the postal department" - a reply The letter of Mr. Bartholomeusz, which appeared in the Sunday Observer of August 4 states that loss of foreign postal packets is rampant. However, the only reason he attributes for these losses is purely imaginary and clearly the perpetration of his own prejudices. It is evident, beyond doubt, that general deterioration of efficiency, honesty and integrity, resulting from politicisation of public services for the past four decades, has reached unrestrained levels, quite as much as what has happened to our money-worshipping society. But, the ruthless conclusion that the Post Office is the culprit in all these cases is grossly unfair and cannot be condoned. Mr. B. seems to be unaware that the only government department that acknowledges and inquires into all public complains is the postal department. This tradition is continued even today, with all its deterioration of efficiency. Complains of losses are always inquired into and those found guilty are punished. Certain investigations have revealed that some foreign packets or mailbags - themselves are lost or tampered with at various points of transit, before reaching the post office. Instances of theft or tampering by the postal staff have mostly caused dismissal for such indiscipline or sometimes seriously viewed and dealt with so as to avert repetition. It has to be stressed that posting of packets should, invariably, conform to rules and regulations laid down on a set of universally accepted rules and regulations. This is not particular to mail matter posted for Sri Lanka alone. It is also experienced that hundreds of civilised countries do conform to rules and regulations. It is unfortunate that most Sri Lankans abroad are on the breach of such requirements, in spite of good knowledge of such regulations. So, it is best that Sri Lankans' relatives abroad are advised to adopt those universal postal regulations. They should not forget to "Register" or "Insure" their packets of valuables. It is a pity that incidents of losses are attributed to the existence of good regulations. Actually, it should be the other way about and not retort angrily and say that the post office is robbing. General information should be diverted towards these genuine facts. Misinforming the general public through prejudice and hatred would further deteriorate the ills, rather than remedying them. There was a time when Sri Lanka Postal Services were reckoned 5th best in the world, sometime back. Mr. B. has also experienced "local postal vultures who steal other people's property, becoming millionaires/trillionaires". I am really sorry to say that I never had this extraordinary experience to evidence such millionaires/trillionaires among postal workers, although I was a postal officer myself who toiled hard to rid those who rob or tamper with any mail matter. ANANDA WIJESINGHE, Many articles have been published in the newspapers, about accidents in the recent past, many of which were caused by the drivers of private buses who do not seem to be in the least concerned about the safety of their passengers and pedestrians. I would like to suggest an interim solution to this problem which can be executed with the cooperation of the police and the passengers of the buses. My suggestion is that a police post be set up at the main bus depots in the country and the passengers are encouraged to report their observations on the safety standards of the driver to the officer in charge of the police post. It is possible that the driver of a bus may be drunk or is in a belligerent state of mind which may perhaps cause him to drive recklessly. Up to now there is no way that a passenger who has just alighted from a bus can complain about the driver's dangerous driving. No action can be taken to ensure that an errant driver is brought to book in time to prevent another fatal accident. It will be seen that if my suggestion is acted upon, immediate action can be taken by the police officer in charge of the police post to ascertain if the driver who is reported by a passenger for bad driving, is in fact drunk or is otherwise unsuitable to drive the vehicle. It will be possible, by this means, to ensure that errant drivers are placed under some control. Suitable action can be taken by the police immediately upon receipt of a complaint, and later by the owners of the vehicle, whom the police can contact, to ensure that drivers cannot get away with their present dangerous driving attitude on our roads. I would also suggest that police officers in civil are posted to travel in buses for short distances from the main bus terminals as they can be relied upon to give an unbiased report on the drivers and the conductors of the buses. J. T. DE LIVERA, A proposal is made to introduce a new system of teaching English by a non-profit making organisation through a team of talented teachers. This system is aimed at helping all those who are less privileged in gaining a knowledge of English. Lessons are prepared to suit individuals according to their knowledge. A student, by choosing the appropriate package does a self examination and determines where he stands and proceeds to the next. In the first stage of learning English a pupil's ability to express ideas, converse and speak is developed in a simple form. This system is not limited to school pupils alone but to those employed and who repent for the loss of opportunities to learn English. Anyone can learn English during their leisure hours. Vocabularies are set to suit each grade. These vocabularies are termed "Spelling and Pronouncing dictionaries" which will be of great help for beginners. Those interested may contact the "Team Leader, Ludvick Rajee at Vendesi Watte, Karambe, Palavi. Ludvick Rajee, Internet and the younger generation At the time Internet was first put into popular use in the United States in the 1970s - in a rudimentary manner as compared to what it is today - I was a young man in my 20s. Today, after just three decades, the developments that have taken place could never have been imagined at that time. Internet was first introduced to Sri Lanka in 1994. At present, just after seven years, its users in our country are a staggering three hundred thousand with additions in many dozens and scores on every succeeding day. Here, you can get into a chatroom in order to chat with another person of your choice with similar interests in any part of the world. Youngsters develop love affairs through chatrooms. A volumous book can be instantly e-mailed to anyone at the other end of the globe at the cost of say, two rupees or so! With an additional digital camera costing you something like Rs. 7000, you can talk face to face with any one of them in any country. The possibilities indeed marvel anybody. My son and daughter enjoying voting rights on account of their age while depending on me for their sustenance and cost of higher education now often browse the Internet. The pornographic and other trash material that is accessible to them on the Internet if they so wish is simply beyond description. They, like all other youngsters in our country, are exposed to similar near pornography on the television which is so commonplace today and which is beyond my control! Secondly, I, being an old man of the old school, resolve to the fact that it is just impossible to collide head on with this global trend. Dharmapala Senaratne, In the 'sunday Observer magazine' what appears to be a full page commercial advertisement under the caption "Starscope" gives weekly forecasts under Vedic astrology for everybody. It is also stated there that those who want notes and explanations to visit the astrologer giving his Website and E-mail details. However such a service in the advertisement itself answering readers' queries will be of immense value - for that purpose space will be easily possible by condensing the verbose forecasts to half the present length. Also it is noted that under the present caption "Starscope" nobody sees stars, and it is more appropriate to rename. The advertisement as planetscope where the sunrise is also a planet for vedic astrology. The following are the two queries that need explanation: 1. Why is the sun which is treated as a planet in the Vedic astrology not recognised as a star even after Galileo's discovery in 1613? 2. Unlike other planets Rahu and Kethu are always diagonally opposition the horoscopes. For example if Rahu is in the first house kethu is always in seventh house. It never varies. C. Perera, People's Bank, I read this article "Sri Lankans or foreigners" in the May 2002 Australian publication, "Serendib" written by some one unknown, e-mail (Ozlanka.com) regarding injustice faced by Sri Lankans living abroad. Dear Commissioner of emigration and immigration, as I intend forwarding your reply to the monthly publication "Serendib' in Australia, could you please give a detailed explanation regarding the article (which may be correct or wrong) so that "Sri Lankans" living abroad could be educated correctly, otherwise they may lose faith and confidence in the administrators of Sri Lanka and our country will be the loser, not the legal draftsman or the politicians who will come and go. P.G.N. Yatiyawala, Kandana. Accidents at unprotected level crossings The Daily News of September 13 carried a photograph of a group of people holding up the Matara bound "Ruhunu Kumari" as a protest regarding an accident which had occurred at an unprotected level crossing near Maggona recently. This protest had been carried by obstructing the fast express train to Matara, with the intention of drawing the attention of the authorities, to get a gate put up at this crossing. The protestors may not be aware that it was an offence to trespass the railway line, according to the railway ordinance, which would results in a prosecution according to the "warning boards" fixed on either side of unprotected railway crossings by the railway department. Those accidents occur due to the negligence of motor vehicle drivers who are expected to stop their vehicles on approaching unprotected crossings, and satisfy themselves that a train is not approaching the crossing, before they cross the track. As an ex-railway employee, I have heard from a former GMR that it is the responsibility of the local authorities of the respective areas to get protective equipment installed at level crossings in their local body areas, through the railway management, after paying the due costs to the department. However, I have seen that the railway department provides level crossing gates or automatic barriers when major roads with heavy motor traffic cross the railway tracks at important towns. Also, the railway tracks run through land belonging to the railway department, and when minor roads are laid across the railway tracks. I presume the local authorities have to first write to the railway department, and get permission to cross the railway track. Then the department inspects that particular spot to see whether it is a safe spot for a level crossing, before granting permission to cut across the tracks. It has also to be mentioned here that the rail tracks to Aluthgama had been laid in 1890 according to departmental statistics, long before these minor roads were constructed by the local authorities of the respective areas. Therefore, I presume that the pradeshiya sabha or the urban councils in these areas where there are unprotected level crossings, which they think should be protected, should write to the railway management and get them installed after paying the due costs. We all know that it will be an impossible task for the railway department to protect each and every road which crosses railway property, as roads are being constructed trespassing railway tracks due to the fast development of towns and villages. I think this matter should be given priority by the government and policy decision taken early regarding the fixing of protective gates or barriers at unprotected level crossings to prevent the loss of valuable lives, which numbers are increasing due to the rapid population explosion and the increase in vehicular traffic in all parts of the country. Lionel L. Leanage, Fast unto death and self responsibility We are notorious for our tactic of 'fasting unto death'. The latest such incident is with some medical students at the University of Ruhuna, who are protesting the suspension of a few of their colleagues. Indeed university student organications in Sri Lanka are quite united in this way and are prompt in taking such action when they feel their rights are violated. Recently we even heard of a hostage crisis. Ruffling the feathers of university students has thus become a detriment to governments, administrators and the general public alike. I write this letter in the perspective of a medical student studying in a foreign country. I obviously know nothing of the luxuries of free university education. I know that I have to take responsibility for paying a rather large sum of money to my institution, whether it is by paying out of pocket, working two jobs or taking 20-year loans, in return for my education. However, I am grateful to my institution for providing me an education, and hold no grudges for what it charges me. I also know nothing of the viability of fasting unto death campaigns in order to reach my objectives. In a democratic nation where 'free will' is paramount, I would think and expect my fasting unto death would result in only one thing, my death. After all, I, and solely I, am responsible for whatever I wish to do with my life. It is possible I am not aware of laws and regulations that may grant leverage to those who wish to put themselves through fasting campaigns. Whatever the legal aspect may be, when one thinks somewhat logically, it only makes sense that using tactics like this is a rather ungrateful, irresponsible, weak and cowardly way of dealing with challenges. Channa R. Jayasekera, There are controversial views on the title of a book, published by the State Printing Corporation. One particular word in a language can be used as a noun or adjective; verb or adverb and so on. Such a word and its derivatives imply same meaning and grammatically perfect "a while" or "awhile" means 'a short time'. The former is a 'noun' and the latter is an 'adverb'. Likewise: 'float or afloat', 'foot or afoot', 'wake or awake' and so on. 'Fast runner', runs 'fast', what about the word 'fast' in grammar in each case? C. J. E. Vethanayagam, |
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