Letters to the Editor
View(s):The saga of Thalakotuwa Gardens: Are authorities waiting for a disaster to act?
The residents of Thalakotuwa Gardens Colombo 5 are undergoing immense inconvenience over the past few years due to many obstacles we have had to face.
Firstly the road has been inaccessible – in a horrible state with crater like potholes and many obstructions caused by the constant construction work pertaining to the drainage lines over the past three years. Pools of water accumulate in these potholes causing easy breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes.
Ever so often the construction work is stopped for over a fortnight, only to recommence at a very slow pace, obstructing traffic, re-evacuating soil in the same sites over and over again.There have been a large number of cases of dengue reported from the vicinity.
In addition to the very bad road conditions the Electricity and the Telecommunication Departments too have totally messed up the beauty of this road with many posts erected right in the centre of the road with several other small buildings with electrical equipment on the road itself. They have not spared any attempt to cause the most unsightly surroundings to our poor road with the haphazard placement of the wires and posts.
This road has three international schools which contribute to a heavy flow of traffic in addition to its many residents.
The heavy traffic that takes this road, exits through the narrow Swarna Road, over a dilapidated old bridge, over the canal, causing a severe bottleneck for many years. Sadly no action is taken to improve the condition of this barrier.
Are we waiting for a disaster to happen for authorities to take remedial action?
Sadly towards the end of this residential road is the low income settlement of Siddhartha Road. It is a heavily populated area with poor hygienic conditions, rampant dengue infestation and many nefarious activities.
Many of the houses are built on 1 – 2 perches land adjacent to each other. In the wake of the recent Parliamentary election many of the residents have resorted to unauthorised buildings on a massive scale – many of which are 4 – 5 storeys high with no proper construction at all.Few would realize the perils of this illegal construction work which has been conveniently and totally ignored by the local authorities.
Furthermore to add to the misery there is an illegal encroachment by a three wheel repair shop constructed on the main road causing further congestion. Perhaps the various political posters that are displayed on this building, with each election campaign, over the years provides the necessary protection to carry on its services evading any legal action.
The Bo tree which has come up by chance opposite this place is now suddenly being venerated with lamps lit around it and it won’t be long before another temple is built on the centre of our road despite the three temples already in existence.
It is indeed disheartening that a road in a highly residential area in the centre of Colombo is in such a sorrowful state neglected by the authorities.
A resident Via email
Sri Lanka’s role in World War II must not be forgotten
It is disappointing that Sri Lanka did not commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War on August 15. During the war Trincomalee was a vital naval base following the fall of Hong Kong and Singapore to the Japanese.
Rubber from Sri Lanka was essential for the war effort. Sri Lankans served in the allied armed forces and helped to repel the Japanese attack on Sri Lanka in April 1942.
Lord Mountbatten’s headquarters for the South East Asia Command were in Kandy. He took the salute at a parade on Galle Face Green on August 25, 1945. The important role Sri Lanka played during a critical period in world history should not be forgotten.
Dr R.P. Fernando Surrey, UK