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Kochchikade: The forgotten town
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Sideways covered with cadjan
The bridge commonly known as “Maha Palama” which connects the Kochchikade town, to the North and North East Provinces and serves as the gateway to Colombo is in a dilapidated state due to the failure of local authorities to maintain it.
A number of other roads in the city too are in a badly neglected state. People attempting to enter the premises of People’s Bank need to be very athletic as the concrete slabs over the drains carrying waste water have gone missing and persons wishing to use the bank have to leap over these open drainage pits to reach their destination.
Bus halts in the town too are laid in a haphazard manner with little or no planning. For instance at some points in the city when a bus stops for passengers to board or alight, all vehicles are held up until the bus moves on.
The authorities could easily solve the problem if the bus halt is moved two to three metres forward.
The entrance to the women’s public toilet is waterlogged and clogged with empty plastic bottles and sili sili bags which has turned it into a breeding-ground for mosquitoes.
The old market
The Kochchikade public library too is in a bad state of neglect. The banisters of the staircase have rotted away making going up or down the staircase downright dangerous.
Garbage at the ‘Old Market’ is rarely cleared and drains left unattended.
Edward Peiris, a vendor who has been operating at the market for over thirty years pointed out that no garbage bins are available. He added that while around about fifty small stalls are available to vendors, only ten stalls are operating.
Despite vendors paying taxes, there are no facilities for drinking water. The stall owners depend on a good Samaritan named Mr. S. C. Peiris for drinking water. When he is not around we have no water, he said. (RP)