Letters to the Editor
View(s):Praiseworthy team work at Kandy General Hospital
I’m prompted to write about a team of bee-like workers I encountered at the General Hospital, Kandy.
From the gate-keeper onwards, human qualities were integrated with efficiency. Firstly the prompt service rendered by the Emergency Ambulance Service 1990 and the staff of the Intensive Care Unit. I happened to be the victim of a severe heart attack for the first time in all of my fit and otherwise healthy 90 years and I surrendered to the relentless and unerring effects of team work that sees me putting pen to paper after a month’s recuperation.
These bee-workers are so praiseworthy and admirable, so unlike those who feast at the Parliament.
S. Bandara Kandy
Grassroot level ‘system changes’ a must
Politicians and people must realise that the main objective of holding Local Government (LG) elections is not to test the popularity or unpopularity of their party but to elect genuine and honest individuals who can serve their Grama Niladhari Division (GND) . When the country is struggling to come out of a dire economic abyss, this unproductive election will surely add insult to injury!
Following are a few suggestions for grassroot level ‘system changes’ before LG elections are held.
- Since the President has already given his assent to go ahead with the NMSJ proposal to establish people based non-political ‘Jana Sabhas’ (JS) at GND level, de-politicize Local Govt. elections forthwith.
- At the next LG election allow each JS to nominate three (one male, one female and one youth below 35 years of age) candidates – honest and socially acceptable, so that the one garnering the highest no. of votes at each GND level will become the JS representative/facilitator taking up their recommendations/issues with LG authorities at DSD level.
- To avoid unnecessary administrative bottlenecks, each District Secretary shall be empowered to conduct the election in his/her DSD in the presence of polling agents from the JS of the area.
- The office bearers at ‘Pradeshiya Sabha’, Urban and Municipal council level can be elected by JS members by vote.
- These facilitators will eventually graduate as proven Provincial Councillors and MPs by becoming members of political parties of their choice with a ‘country first’ attitude.
Bernard Fernando Moratuwa
The sad situation at a popular recreational park
The Wetland Park, Nugegoda is one of the busiest and most popular parks patronised by people of all age. It is an ideal location for jogging, brisk walks and other forms of physical exercises.
However, to the dismay of visitors, the washrooms for males and females have been under lock and key for the past two weeks with a notice by the UDA stating they were compelled to close it indefinitely until a replacement cleaner is found. What a ludicrous explanation for an institution like the UDA!
The inability on the part of the UDA to provide an uninterrupted access to the washrooms speaks volumes of its inefficiency and indifference.
Elders are compelled to answer nature’s call after exercising due to their age. Some are diabetic patients who cannot wait till they return home. Many elderly ladies have stopped coming due to this lack of sanitary facilities.
If the UDA cannot provide a satisfactory solution in the foreseeable future, we the users of the park are ready to bear the cost of the wages of the cleaner, until a permanent solution is made. Alternatively, a nominal fee could be charged from the visitors and surely it would be a sizable income for the cleaner.
The Sri Lanka Low Lying Reclamation Development Board (SLRDC) and the Kotte Municipal Council (KMC) should also take action in restoring this facility in consultation with the UDA.
Reference should also be made to another hazard – a broken wooden bridge in the children’s park. It has been in a dilapidated condition for the past few months. The UDA has not felt any urgency to display even a warning board, if not cordoning off the area barring children from entering until repairs are effected.
Over to you – Chairmen of the UDA, SLLRDC and KMC to take urgent action to rectify these problems.
Athula Ranasinghe Nugegoda
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