Letters
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Some tips to rectify new traffic plan in Kandy
I refer to the report under the title ‘Kandy’s new traffic plan working but pylons must go’ published in the Sunday Times of February 21.It is reported that traffic congestion on Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha formerly Peradeniya Road and Gopallawa Mawatha had disappeared after the recent traffic plan trial was introduced.Yet as I experienced at 1.30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, the traffic congestion on Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha does not appear to have disappeared.
The proposal to adjust traffic on Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha and Gopallawa Mawatha for one way traffic for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening has been tried out with effect from March 1 in the evening only from 3.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. This change did not appear to be a success as it took me 25 minutes to drive from Girls’ High School to the Kandy roundabout at 6.30 p.m. on March 1 the first day of the change.
There is forever a traffic crawl on Peradeniya-Kandy road from the Gatambe roundabout up to the Kandy police station junction, the cause for which can be attributed to the intersections at the Heerrassagala junction and the Police station junction where free flow of traffic on the Peradeniya-Kandy road is obstructed to permit traffic to fall on to Peradeniya-KandyRoad or for traffic to get out of Peradeniya Kandy Road
The simplest straightforward way to avoid the obstructions is by the construction of flyovers at the two points, which may be rather complicated owing to the lack of sufficient land space, but perhaps possible if handled by an expert highways designer. An interim traffic flow may be possibly arranged for the intersection at the police station where sufficient land space could be obtained for any widening to avoid the obstructions caused by the following:
Traffic falling on to Peradeniya- Kandy Road from the road by Pushpadana College
There should be no right turn.Traffic may turn left only, towards the clock tower for which a traffic lane has to be provided by widening the bend so as not to obstruct the traffic already on the main road.
Traffic wanting to turn right to proceed towards Peradeniya, should not cross the main road but turn left and reverse the direction towards Peradeniya at the Roundabout.
Traffic falling on to Peradeniya –Kandy Road through the Rail gate
(Lama Gara Road)
Traffic turning towards Peradeniya should be given sufficient space to turn left by widening the bend, and not obstruct traffic coming from the clock tower towards Peradeniya. Since it is not possible to prevent traffic entering Pushpadana Road and also turning towards Kandy, this should be the only obstruction on this road, limiting traffic to a minimum keeping out buses and lorries if possible.If this obstruction can be avoided there should be no obstruction at this junction.
Traffic getting out of Peradeniya- Kandy Road to enter the road by Pushpadana College
Traffic from Peradeniya side to enter the road by Pushpadana College should be able to enter unobstructed by widening the bend to turn left.
Traffic from Kandy side should not be allowed to enter this road direct from Peradeniya-Kandy Road, but take Yatinuwara Veediya and through the railgate at the mosque proceed to Pushpadana Road, Asgiriya or Mahiyawa.
Keerthi Bhareti
Kandy
Let’s give ‘lensuwa’ to a doctor at Pera
When Peter the Great of Russia was raising his army he found, to his dismay, that the poor serfs he conscripted were grossly illiterate. They did not know ‘left’ from ‘right’ and could not march when ordered as they never knew what their feet were called. He then had a simply brilliant idea.Strands of hay were tied to the left foot of each recruit and straw tied to his right foot . The Sergeants no longer bawled ‘Left!Right’ but ‘Hay Foot ! Straw Foot!’ Many victories were won by this army.
As a kid, long, long ago, I heard an old village yarn about ‘goday’ recruits who also knew not left from right. A sergeant had the bright idea of ordering every man to tie a handkerchief [lensuwa] on his left foot. The right foot was bare [nikan]. They were now drilled, no longer to the incomprehensible ‘Vam! Dhak!’ , but to the Sergeant’s yell of “Lensu Kakula ! Nikan Kakula!”
My humble suggestion is that we donate ‘lensuwas’ to the surgeon at Peradeniya Hospital.
Tissa Devendra
Via email
The hotel enjoys great patronage from Lankans
I wish to bring to your notice the unreasonable and unsubstantiated allegations made against an organisation, in a letter to the editor by Champa Fernando from Kandy, titled “Shabby treatment at a grand hotel” on 28.02.2016.
The reference to the hotel is made in such a way, so that any reader will perceive it to be the Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya.
Please see some points stated by Mrs. Fernando in her letter to the editor.
1. The writer says that the waiter said that the “foreign” guests at another table had complained that they were loud.
2. Mrs. Fernando implies that the Grand Hotel practises “segregationist tactics aimed at discouraging Lankans from patronising the place”.
Firstly during the period Mrs. Fernando and party were in the restaurant (1.30 to 3.15pm on 19.02.2016), there were only five other guests, and all of them were Sri Lankans and are known to us by name, as they are regular patrons. The three Lankan guests who complained were regulars who were non-residents of the hotel, while the other two guests were residents of the hotel. We are in a position to produce documentary evidence to prove the nationality of these five guests.
Secondly, the Grand Hotel today enjoys great patronage from many Sri Lankans, some of whom have been regular residents, while others have been regular diners at our eight food and beverage outlets. As such I wish to state that the Grand Hotel does not practise nor does it condone any form of discrimination of its patrons, employees or other stakeholders. Furthermore, we recognise and value the patronage given by Sri Lankans during the pre-2009 period which kept this organisation afloat.
I am sure you would see that the writer of the letter was factually incorrect and has written the article with the intent of causing damage to a well-established organization.
Tyrone David
Resident Manager
The Nuwara Eliya Hotels PLC
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