Sunday Times 2
Stop the rape of Senkadagalapura
Another few gentle green giants that cleanse the toxic air in and around Senkadagalapura or “Mahanuwara” or Kandy, are being prepped for being turned in to a dining table. This is the sad site that greets us when reaching the Buddhist Publication Society and D.S. Senanayake College end of the lake now. Large billboards announce the Tunnel and Bridge projects. They seem to be trying to hide the ugliness of bulldorzers and other machinery littering the lake and the roadside.
New road and tunnel projects in Kandy. Pic by Y. Fernando
The greedy politicians seem to think the larger the project, the more visible their “contribution” which will garner more votes in addition to surreptiously getting large chunks of our tax money as commissions in their pockets.
The survile officials, probably expecting their “cut”, are conciliate and bend or break the rules. They are quite nonchalant about the rampant destruction of our sacred city while utilising their knowledge, so educated with our tax money, to provide us, the Kandy citizens, with the necessary services.
Meanwhile, those of us who live in Kandy, have to struggle to breathe without coughing, sneezing and consequently suffering from serious life threatening illnesses.
Why is it that there is such a “need” to appease all those non-residents from Uva, Eastern, North Central, Wayamba and Sabaragmuwa provinces by “developing” Kandy? Why is it that Kandy has to cater for the education, health care and other administrative needs of folks from Matale, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Moneragala, Batticoloa and Ampara and beyond?
If Badulla reqiures a Mahamaya or Dharmaraja College, why not convert an existing school in Badulla to a branch of Mahamaya or Dharmaraja by changing the name board? Why not expand the wards and specialty services of the Moneragala Hospital and hire medical personnel to serve Moneragala and other towns in the vicinity? If one needs to get to Ampara from Kegalle why not a large tunneled-bridged-highway as needed through Ratnapura, Badulla or Moneragala on to Ampara giving larger commissions to the many elected /public officials?
The Kandy residents who have worked hard and paid taxes have to fight to walk on the streets jam-packed with visiting pedestrians rushing to be served in Kandy. While we stand in line, those from out of Kandy get assisted on a priority basis because they have a greater distance to travel. The trailing rows of buses traversing the lake round about 6 to 8 in a row from out of Kandy ensure we are compelled to leave home, which is a mere 2-3km from the city centre, about 40minutes in advance to reach our destination.
The congestion in every aspect in Kandy will not ease with wider roads, more buildings, bigger parking lots, expanded schools or many more wards added to the general hospital.
Kandy should serve the residents of Kandy with just two laned roads and wide pavements adequately lit and marked with relevant sign boards.
The schools should have four classrooms per grade with 25 students each which will enable the Principal to get to know each student, the families and neighbourhood. The general hospital can reduce the beds per ward and enable the medical personnel to take care of us without requiring more hours in a day than 24 to serve especially those from outstation areas.
A few parking lots around the city with space for 20 or so vehicles each will be more than adequate. The many businesses cramped in the city and along main roads can promote quality goods and services to residents and visting tourists, both local and foreign. This sacred city will revert to the calm, peaceful, cool, pollution free (with breathable air) haven it once was, attracting high spending, long term staying visitors. It will be a much sought after destination of religious, cultural, sporting, wellness, wilderness as well as educational significance.
We should strive to retain our green, sacred city, possibly the only such city in the world to have two pristine rain forests within city limits with many indigenous flora and fauna and unspoilt water. Senakdagalapura is the last Kingdom of ancient Sinhalé and is losing it habitable-conducive state to “development”. Stop catering to other areas beyond Kandy. Let them be “developed” to cater to their own residents.
Stop the rape of Senkadagalapura!