Letters to the Editor
View(s):Is the sky the limit for these buildings springing up in residential areas?
I refer to your front page news item in the Sunday Times July 16 that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) has “ hit the brakes on a proposed US $250Mn project to construct two towers of 75 storeys each on Horton Place”! 75 STOREYS ON HORTON PLACE!?
I opened your PLUS section and there was this letter relating to the same issue from your reader, Sarath Wickremasinghe – “Stop high rise buildings in residential areas.”
It was a few weeks ago that I was in a three storey building in the Ward Place area and I saw this very tall hotel in the middle of the green residential area. It seemed so out of place, and one couldn’t help but think what will happen to the residents if a few more buildings like this come up, in that neighbourhood.
I am a resident of Dehiwela. The residents that live on the roads that lead to the sea side off Galle Road in Dehiwela, such as Ratnakara Road, Albert Place, 2nd Lane, Campbell Place, De Alwis Place, to name a few, all face similar problems. Very tall buildings, mainly apartment complexes have come up on these roads, which some years ago had single or two storey houses. A resident of one of these lanes in fact told me that because of the very tall buildings on three sides of his home, they are compelled to keep the lights switched on during the day. Very soon, what has happened to most of the roads towards the beach in Wellawatte, will also happen to these roads in Dehiwala.
A few days ago I saw a banner on Hotel Road Mount Lavinia. It said, “Save Mt. Lavinia – Say NO to high rise buildings – Join our movement to save Beach side Mt. Lavinia”. It would appear that the residents of Mount Lavinia have seen what has happened in Wellawatte, is happening in Dehiwela and are organising themselves
Shouldn’t such tall buildings be confined to particular areas in a city or town? These tall structures are destroying the “harmony in these neighbourhoods” as pointed out by Mr. Wickremasinghe in his letter. Does not the UDA have a plan? Can one buy a 40 perch block of land in this area, and construct a 20 storey tower block? Is the sky the limit on a property one owns? Shouldn’t there be restrictions on ‘how much of sky one owns’ over one’s land. If there is no such legislation now, there is a need to enact such laws. I believe in some countries, even in some states in the USA, such laws exist.
The UDA and the local authorities must take urgent steps to preserve our residential neighbourhoods.
Eksith Fernando
Dehiwela
Be a true leader and make hard decisions without dilly dallying further
‘Only a leader with a strong backbone can do such a thing’. The above was a quote by a woman taking part in a protest held last year, appealing to the President against Police inaction on inquiring into persons named by eyewitnesses to the Welikada prison massacre of 2012. Holding such an inquiry was one of the recommendations of the committee headed by retired High Court Judge Nambuwasamge, whose report was handed over to the Prime Minister in June 2015 (Sunday Leader of February 2016).
There has been a great sense of disillusionment and disappointment among the citizens of this country about the performance of the new Government they brought into office two and a half years ago. Not a single decisive action has been taken on any of the pressing issues of the day: SAITM and the peeved GMOA; garbage disposal and the dengue menace; holding of Local Government elections – long overdue; or the determined prosecution of those accused of large scale corruption and abuse of power -they seem to be regularly hauled before inquiring bodies merely to serve as a distraction. This is not counting all the controversial mega projects about which periodic pronouncements are made, and then contradicted the next day, by senior Ministers in this government.
To be a leader is to play an uncomfortable role. Any decision you take will displease some segment or other. Having played a leadership role myself, I know what it means to take hard decisions, to choose one course of action over another because it’s beneficial to the institution, because it is equitable, and sometimes merely because a decision has to be taken. Mine was an appointment- I didn’t have 51.28% of the population of Sri Lanka electing me with a specific mandate of ‘yahapalanaya’.
A democratic ruler of course cannot rule dictatorially – even benevolently. What he has to do is to foster institutions and their independence. (eg: those investigating crime and corruption, protecting wildlife or regulating drugs and alcohol). While he has to restrain himself from interfering (even positively) with their functioning, he should and must take a firm stand when others try to interfere or influence their work. Those diligently pursuing their duties at these institutions should have the confidence that their leader will stand by them and not let anyone browbeat them (or transfer them).
That’s why we mourn the lack of leadership in our land: the courage taken to move out and stand as a common candidate, despite very real threats to his life, has not been seen in the recent past. Matters that have dragged on for so long could have been settled swiftly by judicious, long-term solutions, which of course would have angered some. He could have gone down as the first leader who fulfilled all the promises he made, and then stepped down from power after five years.
I appeal to the President to have that same courage and decisiveness that he displayed before;to be a leader ‘with a backbone’ and to move ahead without dilly dallying over making hard decisions.
A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be (Rosalynn Carter).
Shanthi Dias
Via email