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Torrington’s community centre breeding drug addicts and mosquitoes
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- CMC, CEA and police passing the buck to each other; court orders regarding noise pollution openly flouted
The centre along with a community hall opened by then Colombo Mayor Karu Jayasuriya under the purview of the CMC, has not only turned into a major eyesore, but a den of vice and mosquito breeding ground too.
The abandoned community centre in Colombo’s Cinnamon Gardens, a zone designated by the UDA (Urban Development Authority) as a “special primary residential area’, was built for the benefit of the displaced poor at what is now known as “hete watta”. The CMC and other state agencies such as the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) and the local police, and the Environmental police are merely passing the buck to each other as the centre has become a haven for drug addicts as well. 
Two court orders, one from the country’s highest court, the Supreme Court (SC/FR 38/2005) and the Chief Magistrate’s Court (68868/2) are being treated with contempt. While the Supreme Court in a previous matter had ruled on noise pollution–in this particular instance, the Cinnamon Gardens police got a magisterial order disallowing the kovil to allow noise outside the temple precincts–and banning the use of gongs, amplifiers and loudspeakers. It now appears that the police is paying little heed to ensure the court order is implemented.
The community centre comes ‘alive’ at night with temple bells and loud speakers blarring from a nearby Hindu kovil and Buddhist shrine. This is followed by drug users gathering at the centre and the burning of old mattresses and other material in search of the wire-metal, copper etc. which are sold to dealers of second-hand chemical elements that wend its way as far as South India. The noise pollution is followed by the toxic air pollution.
With no CMC security personnel or a fence to protect the premises, all that is left are damaged furniture, destroyed wiring, discarded plastics and other garbage burnt within the premises.These activities that have gone on for years have resulted in sleep deprivation, breathing difficulties and respiratory illnesses among children and the elderly, not only in the neighbourhood but within ‘hete watta’ too. But the women are too afraid to complain about what the men do.
Rate paying residents in the surrounding areas have approached authorities to find a solution to no avail. They have gone from the local Medical Officer of the area (see extracts from his report) to the Mayor Rosie Senanayake. Court orders are being flouted in gay abandon. “Looks like we need a ‘system change’, an irate resident told us with sardonic laughter echoing the theme of the recent ‘aragalists’.
‘Hete watta” has in the intervening years since the well-meaning Community Centre came into being back in 1999 turned into a slum dwelling. The men-folk do menial work in the city during the day and what they do at night is for their extra income – and entertainment. They have become addicted to cheap narcotics in the process. 
“It’s not easy to talk to those at ‘hete watte’. They get violent when approached and use bad language”, said a resident when asked if they have not tried to reach some informal settlement by themselves. “The community hall can empower women in the area, with a few sewing machines or even a library for the community and uplift their lives. Unfortunately it is promoting illegal activities in the absence of supervision”.
While breeding drug addicts, the premises is also breeding mosquitoes due to discarded containers and garbage thrown into the premises.
Colombo’s Municipal Commissioner Bhadrani Jayawardena admits the CMC has received complaints over public health concerns caused by strong toxic smoke. She said a tender has now been called from private security services to employ security personnel at the community centre.
“We have also sought assistance from the Cinnamon Gardens police to provide protection to the centre until a security officer is recruited. Police officers will be deployed to inspect the premises frequently to ensure illegal activities are not taking place inside,” she said. But, it seems, the Cinnamon Garens police knows nothing of this request.
The CMC Commissioner conceded the premises is in a neglected state and placed the blame on the lack of funds to maintain it. She said the CMC plans to convert it into a community activity centre from the 2023 budget allocation.
The CMC’s area public health officer admitted the community centre has become a den of vice but continuous warnings to the ‘hete watta’ residents are being ignored and garbage is burnt at night within the premises.
Noise pollution is an added issue. Complaints to the CEA over loud sound from amplifiers used at a Bo-tree shrine located adjacent to the community centre have fallen on deaf ears at the CEA.
Director of CEA’s Compliance Monitoring and Complaints Unit Manoja Priyadarshani said complaints have been forwarded to Cinnamon Gardens police last week.
Passing the buck, she said the CEA does not look into such complaints as it is not industrial noise pollution. “It is the responsibility of the local police station’s environment police unit to look into these and advise, or take action under the Nuisance Ordinance,” she said.
Cinnamon Gardens police OIC O. Senanayake contradicted what both the CMC Commissioner and the CEA Director said. He denied being informed over the noise pollution issue either by the CEA or the CMC.
Then and now: The community centre opened by then Colombo Mayor Karu Jayasuriya now in a state of utter neglect and doing more harm than service to the people of the area. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
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