No solace for Borella shanty dwellers
by Nilma Dole
[email protected]
At first glance, Ramya seems like any bubbling one-year-old baby with
a cherubic smile and charming gurgles. However, behind those baby eyes
lurk a dark secret.
She is battling a blood infection and her health condition is
worsening daily, says the Community Doctor, Dr. M. A. G. S.
Rathnawardena.
Baby Ramya lives in a 5x5 shanty which she shares with her family
close to the railway track.
Everytime a train passes, the foundation shakes vigorously as if to
collapse any moment. When it rains, the nearby drain overflows into
their dwelling with nearly two feet of dirty water. Baby Ramya lives at
160, Cotta Road, Colombo-08.
Even though the ‘Samithi’ or the Community Development and Social
Service Society of 16, Cotta Road, Borella helps the shanty community,
its leader, trishaw driver Morgan Kumar said that “Previously in 1984
there were 26 houses in the area and many found it easy to seize
possession of land and build their houses”.
He said people can’t live here by force because the Urban Development
Authority (UDA) said that they initially planned the town in such a way
that rainwater from roads flows to the drains near the Cotta Railway
Station.
The biggest problem is that these slums are on the reservation site
of the Railway Department and the responsibility lies on them. When
contacted the General Manager of the Railway Department, Dr. Lalithasiri
Gunaruwan said, “It is not the Railway Department’s mandate to offer
alternative land for shanty dwellers. We believe in evicting all those
who have seized possession of the land on the railway reservation site.”
He said that shanties on the Kelaniya bridge and in Peradeniya have
been cleared where dual-crossing of the railway track is in progress.
“There are organisations and ministries to help those living in slums if
they are evicted because the railway track is not a place to live,” Dr.
Gunaruwan said.
Previously, reports indicated that the most number of crimes were
committed in Borella, compared to the other zones in Colombo. O.I.C
Borella Police J. P. S. Jayamaha said, “Even though Borella is at the
epicentre of criminal activity, the present security situation has
impelled us to carry constant checks. We have ensured that criminal
activities in Borella is kept under control,” he said. |