Letters to the Editor
View(s):Veggies rot and livelihoods are lost while Govt. has other priorities
Rotting vegetables thrown to the elephants
The front page picture of a farmer from Jaffna seated beside his unsold harvest of potatoes, appearing in the Sunday Times of March 4, speaks louder than words on behalf of all the farmers in the country. It is precisely for this reason that it was published. But the question is whether anyone has taken notice of it.
This is the plight of not only potato farmers, but also vegetable and paddy farmers, as reported in the newspapers. And it is a plight faced by them every year, since the time of Independence with no real solution in sight. On the other hand, those who buy the produce cheaply during such times have built huge business empires and continue to expand them.
There was a time when the government maintained huge rice mills at Chenkaladi and Kachchigala, but these exist no more and the business is in private hands. In the case of produce such as potatoes and Bombay onions, the government levies taxes on imports, but this does not seem to have the desired effect, because imports have flooded the market by the time taxes are imposed. In the case of vegetables they are simply allowed to perish or thrown to garbage dumps.
In addition there are reports regularly about damage to person and property from elephants, lack of proper roads and bridges, lack of transport etc. in rural areas.
These are issues with which the government should be seriously concerned and prompt action is required to help the people.
Instead, politicians in power have their own priorities. President Rajapaksa developed the Hambantota district. President Sirisena is developing the Polonnaruwa district. The PM has no such phobia but his projects are still in the clouds and there is very little to show for the past three years.
It is time for the government to reflect on the needs of the people and devise mechanisms to alleviate their suffering.
K.S. Via email
Shocked by the negligence or ignorance that led to PTL FD fiasco
I wish to refer to the news item that appeared in the Sunday Times on March 18.
I was shocked that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU ) was unaware of the fixed deposits held by PTL (Perpetual Treasuries Ltd).
When the orders were issued to freeze bank accounts they should have examined all accounts and not only the current accounts. Bank accounts include current, savings, fixed deposits, call deposits, LC s, loans and overdrafts of any institution.
This lapse has taken place either due to negligence or due to lack of accounting knowledge of the staff attached to this department or the prosecutors’ department. Or this particular bank may have failed to provide or suppressed the submission of such relevant information.
By this omission an opportunity has been created to transfer funds of such FDs which were there before this detection to any other location or overseas banks.
As a Financial professional I feel that such loopholes should be sealed off soon in view of the future pending prosecutions.
Mahinda Wimalasena Kiribathgoda
Banking woes of senior citizens
In some private banks, you find special counters for clergy, the disabled and elderly account holders manned by well-dressed officers, who always address the customers politely and with a smile. However it is not the same at state banks.Senior citizens have to meet medical expenses connected to various pathological tests recommended by medical specialists. Today most septuagenarian and octogenarian citizens exist on life-long prescriptions. At state banks, chronic hindrances prevent them from standing for long durations.
When I visited a particular bank, a couple of days ago, the place was chock a bloc with customers including two very old ladies and a gentleman standing in a winding queue.
I approached the head of the branch, who gave me a patient hearing and immediately summoned the two senior customers and accepted the cash payments promptly himself; a courteous act indeed. However, state banks in general have earned the reputation of being lethargic and showing little concern for aged customers. I believe that all state banks should have a special senior citizens counter. Banking assistants should also be trained to attend to these elders in a courteous manner. Over to you, CEOs of all State Banks.
Withholding Tax
The Ministry of Finance needs to make a clarification on the withholding tax of 10 percent to be deducted if the interest exceeds Rs.108,000/- per annum (or Rs.9,000 a month) and whether this is applicable to over sixties as well. If not, this would mean senior citizens would have to pay a 10 percent tax on their meagre income whereas others will pay only a 5% tax on the first Rs.500,000 of their earnings.
Enhancement of Senior Citizens Special Interest Scheme
Under the state granted Special Interest Scheme—which is applicable for senior citizens over 60 years of age, and subject to a Maximum deposit amount of Rupees 1.5 Million at 14.060 % for one year FD if interest is claimed monthly, or 15% if interest is paid at maturity. This rate and the Deposit limit was fixed a few years ago when the bank interest rates were rather low compared to today’s rates. As declared by financial experts the consequences of the CB bond scam has caused the market rates of interest for normal FDs to rise from earlier 7 to 8 percent up to current 9 to 11 percent.
The inflationary effects that followed have pushed the cost of living index also to adjust at higher levels. It is time that the Minister considers an enhancement of the interest from the present 15 percent to a reasonable 18-20%, along with an upper limit of 2.5 Million deposit. This will help non-pensioner corporate sector retirees to invest their hard-earned EPF/ETF [part of which has already been gobbled up by Bond scoundrels] plus gratuity payments in meeting at least their cost of medication.
K. K. S. Perera Panadura
Cleanliness could make the upcountry train ride so much pleasanter
Many letters have appeared in the newspapers over the last few weeks on the Podi Menike and Udarata Menike trains from Colombo to Badulla. The newspapers also reported that the Sri Lanka Government Railways General Manager has announced that there will be a ticket price increase of 15% from April. He should have also mentioned that he has taken note of the shortcomings highlighted by the train travellers and that steps would be taken to correct them.
Last month when I together with some people from Canada travelled by Podi Menike from Fort to Nanu Oya, we too experienced most of those defects pointed out in those letters. Let me point out a few more for the attention of the General Manager. A few vendors walk from one end of the train to the other end selling food items. Among them, I was told, is an officially permitted vendor. On the back of his black t’shirt was the name of some catering service. A tourist wanted to buy some food and the seller just used his bare hands to offer the food. The tourist quickly refused and turned to his companion and said some thing about “dirty hands”. If it is a reputed catering service, they should not touch food with fingers, but with tongs (serving spoons).
On the back of the seats in the 1st class compartment instructions to operate the seat are given in wrong English.
The commode seat in the toilet looks very old and badly discoloured. The toilet stinks, because apparently some users do not flush the commodes. Some time ago when we travelled by night train in China, I found the toilets in the compartment clean. The secret is a person in uniform is assigned to keep the compartment clean and to ensure no unauthorized people get into the compartment. Every two hours or so that person sprayed the toilet using the bidet spray and mopped the floor. We too have a person to prevent non first class ticket holders getting into the compartment, but he is not interested in the cleanliness of the toilets.
If the authority is interested in providing a better service to the travellers, they should take train rides occasionally. To correct these shortcomings pointed out in these columns, the SLGR does not require a fortune. What is required is the will to do it. The tourists who use these trains will continue to use them, because they want to travel in the country. They prefer the train journey, because it provides them with an opportunity to see the beauty of the Up country, but please do not take them for granted, they will talk about the level of facilities available in our beautiful country after they go back to their countries.
I must mention one good word about the guard. On two occasions he walked into the 1st class compartment to point out the reservoir and the waterfall to the delight of the tourists.
H de Silva Via email
Why can’t we have clean train toilets like overseas trains?
I was travelling in the observation compartment of the Badulla Train on March 9 from the Ella railway station to Polgahawela. Altogether there are 44 seats in the compartment and almost all the seats were occupied. Except for about eight of us, the rest were all tourists, mostly from Western countries. Halfway, I overheard some tourists discussing about the condition of the washroom in the compartment and this made me go to the toilet.
When I went there I was really flabbergasted. As I went in I noticed that the toilet door could not be locked from inside. So I had to walk back to my seat and call my wife to be at the door to guard the place till I came out. Inside it was hell; someone had urinated all over the seat cover and there was no way to sit on the commode. No toilet paper, though there was water in the tap. This train starts from Badulla and must be taking about 12 hours to reach Colombo Fort. So if someone wants to use the toilet proper, there is no way to clean oneself.
This type of problems could be attended to within a few minutes if someone in the Railway Department takes some initiative. I am sure this compartment must be generating a sizeable income to the Railways. Furthermore the department should think of the negative impact on the tourism industry in the country, with such unhygienic conditions.
I have travelled by train in a few countries. Even in India the train toilets are much cleaner than the train I travelled in. In England and in Australia, toilets in 3rd class railway compartments are very similar to the toilets in our tourist hotels. So, if we want to improve our tourism, we have to provide the tourists with better facilities.
Over to you, Mr. Minister, GMR & the CME of the Department of Railways. With a few hundred rupees this type of maintenance could be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
Bandu Dharmaratne Via email