Govt. should implement strict policies to avoid traffic congestion for next 5 years; CILT panel discusses
View(s):Once a conversation among several government officials regarding building roads and the consequences each official faces was described as:
‘Pavements cannot be built till the roads are carpeted, roads cannot be carpeted till they are properly built, roads cannot be built till the pipelines are made, pipelines cannot be made till the cables are pulled out, the boundary to pull the cables cannot be obtained till the pavements are built.’
This is how local ministers responsible for the construction of roads simply respond to each other regarding construction of roads which had led to massive traffic jam in urban cities.
Being present at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) International Conference held at the Kingsbury in Colombo last week the Business Times was hoping to obtain a solution for the prevailing traffic congestion .
During the panel discussion at the end of the conference it was mentioned that the government needs to implement strict policies for the next five years in order to reduce traffic congestion.
Secretary to the Ministry of Defense and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his keynote address spoke on how the Army, Air Force and Navy overcame the 30-year war using the technology that was available at that time. He also added that Sri Lanka needs well trained professionals in the field of logistics and transport which plays a significant role in any field of business. Careful planning and attending to the needs of the requirement is very important when handling logistics and transportation related operations, he stressed.
International CILT President Dr. Dorothy Chan said that promoting Colombo into a logistics hub is not that easy though Colombo is fast developing. As city developments take place on one side the need for ports and airports also increases on the other side. Railways is the backbone policy to reduce traffic congestion in cities, she noted taking Hong Kong as an example as the country had implemented public buses, mini buses, railways and metros where the pedestrians take the public transport instead of private vehicles.
She also mentioned that there has to be a mobility vision and a long term plan to reduce traffic congestion by introducing railways and metros.
Maersk Line Managing Director, Franck Dedenis said that Sri Lanka has a large and beautiful harbour in Colombo with required infrastructure and huge capacity but the port needs to be fully utilized. The Sri Lankan shipping industry has 40 per cent market share with 60 per cent imports and 40 per cent exports, he added.
LF Logistics Executive Director Tommy Lui in his speech spoke about 3D printing which has been vitally improved in China but not commercialized properly in Sri Lanka. He also mentioned that due to advancement in technology, companies can get bankrupt anytime with the changing world. To overcome that companies have to be proactive and empower the people.
(RM)