Letters to the Editor
View(s):Hike in water charges: Easy move for you, but burden to the Citizen Pereras
To Vasudeva Nanayakara
Mr Minister, you must please remember that though the statute allows a hike every three years, water is an essential commodity to every Sri Lankan and 15 units is what a family of three would consume per month. The Cost of Living is increasing daily due to global economic issues and also our overall dependence on imported products.
People are struggling to make ends meet and it is not the best time to increase water charges.
I would suggest that you could utilise experts to identify cost reduction avenues in the Water Board, bring in greater efficiency in the water distribution network, eliminate waste, reduce or redeploy excess staff to other government departments/ boards rather than increase water charges. You could also do a comprehensive review of the Procurement function to identify any unnecessary capital expenditure that could be avoided.
Increasing water charges is an easy exercise for a new minister especially with no financial management background. But it is painful to many households and Citizen Pereras like me.
Mr Minister, I hope you will appreciate that the middle class in Sri Lanka are suffering the most as many of them will be in the 15 to 25 units of water consumption category.
Hence, please look for other cost reduction opportunities rather than hike the water charges.
Citizen Perera Via email
Thank you sirs for 1990 ambulance service
At a time when the good things, the previous regime did, are being summarily dismissed or dismantled by word or deed, I take this opportunity to thank the former Minister Harsha De Silva and the Indian High Commission for inaugurating the 1990 ambulance service, now operational throughout the island.
I am sure I speak for all citizens of this land, when I hail this project, the service it has done unheard, unsung, saving lives. We in the medical profession know of how the neighbourhood three wheeler always helped in dire circumstances but it was a quantum jump in transit care, when this facility came into being, enabling patients, to be received in hospital, in a reasonable state.
Despite the initial scurrilous objections by the GMOA attempting to thwart this project, you persisted and mounted this admirable service. Many thanks indeed Sir!
Dr Channa Ratnatunga Via email
Fewer mobile phones, more work done
It is reported that the country has more than 20 million mobile phones. The total number of employees in the Public and Semi Government sectors excluding uniformed staff of the three forces, Army, Navy and Air Force, as of November 17 2016, stood at 1,109,475.
If the government wants to improve the efficiency of the public service it is imperative that the use of mobile phones be banned in offices.The time wasted on these phones and the loss to the government though not calculated must be very high.This time can be profitably used by public servants to increase their output.
During our time there were no mobile phones. We were able to concentrate on our work without any disturbances.
A retired government servant Via email
More on pension slips
This refers to a letter under the headline, ‘Bring back the pension slip please’.
As a longstanding pensioner who retired in 1987, I wish to state that there is no need to issue such a pension slip. A pension slip is normally issued to all the pensioners in January each year and almost all receive the same amount mentioned therein throughout the year.
The pension slip can be downloaded from the official website of the Department of Pensions by those who need it monthly. Moreover any pensioner could visit the respenctive Divisional Secretariat and collect the pension particulars within a few minutes.
As there are several avenues of getting pension particulars to those who need it, I am of the view that there is no purpose in spending government funds to issue the pension slip monthly.
A.B. Gamage Pitakotte
Provincial Councils: An exercise in futility?
We saw the Elections Commissioner requesting the President to hold provincial elections soon.
I think the President should study the work done by the Provincial Councils in the past before reviving them as the work done by them has not helped the development of the country as envisaged.
Provincial Councils have become a white elephant which used the tax payers’ money for the councillors to enjoy various perks and go on jaunts to foreign countries on the pretext of studying the administrative set-up in these countries.
For about a year or so most of the provincial councils have not been in operation but the work went on without any problem.Hence we earnestly hope the President would not revive them without studying their past records and also whether such councils are required as the country has a financial problem at the moment. There are ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers. In addition we have municipal councils, town councils and pradeshiya sabhas appointed to oversee the development activities of the country Hence it would be advisable to see how these institutions operate without burdening the government unnecessarily.
A concerned citizen Via email