Letters to the Editor

It was interesting to read the comments of sea mammal enthusiast and wildlife photographer Duncan Murrel in the newspapers, expressing his worry about the pollution of waters, around the country. Murrel believes that Sri Lanka could be one of the top ten places in the world to watch whales and dolphins, provided conservation is ensured.

His comments, during his recent visit to observe whales found in the waters around Sri Lanka, once again, highlight the need for immediate action against the threats posed to the environment and tourism by the growing problem of pollution in this country.

I had my own encounter with the devastating effects of pollution during the long weekend trip to Nuwara Eliya in August, which my family has now dubbed, "Horror in the Hills". It was a joke to see so many policemen in and around the Nuwara Eliya town who seemed oblivious to the vehicles spewing hazardous fumes right into the faces of pedestrians. What an impression the tourists, who are hoodwinked with stories of the salubrious climes of Little England, get of this town!

Our attempts to find a decent walking trail to get away from the filth and pollution of the town, were in vain. Attempting to take a walk around the lake was a joke, as it has been turned into an open tent for local tourists who camp out in vans, drink alcohol openly, cook on firewood hearths and litter the place with total disrespect for the environment.

Again, why are these blatant acts of pollution tolerated by the Municipality and Police? Surely, a spot fine of Rs. 50 will do wonders to stop this menace and allow those who respect the environment, an opportunity to enjoy it. It is a joke to market Sri Lanka as an eco-tourist destination in its current state.

There is also no place to find a detailed map showing places of interest like the Hakgala Gardens, Horton Plains or walking trails for adventure and nature lovers. Unfortunately, even getting to these places is a nightmare. The roads to these destinations are badly maintained and no one is around to direct the heavy traffic on holidays.

The Municipality and Police must work together to control crowds. It is bad enough that we charge higher rates from tourists, but exposing them to traffic congestion and unruly crowds will surely result in bad publicity.

We cannot afford this, now that the tourist arrivals are expected to increase in the next few months. We can get the high-spending tourist to return or give Sri Lanka the right promotion, only if we meet their expectations of a clean environment and attractions that offer value for money.

Another major shortcoming is the lack of proper information at places of scenic beauty and interest. When we stopped to view the beautiful St. Clair and Devon Falls, there were no boards giving any information about them. In other countries, even a small trickle of water at the right location has a signpost with interesting details. In Nuwara Eliya, even the welcome signs are in a sorry state. Why are these not maintained?

The Ministry of Tourism must erect information boards at such locations and sites within the Cultural Triangle. Hotels that profit from the tourist industry will surely contribute to this project. Not only will it help tourism, but also serve an educational purpose, for future generations to appreciate nature and respect our cultural heritage.

Preservation of historical sites is also severely neglected. Ruins of the palace at the summit of Sigiriya and others around Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa are not protected from the crowds who walk freely around and litter these places.

It is still possible to take effective measures immediately, provided the relevant bodies wake up from their inertia. We cannot drag our feet and believe that tourists will come flocking to Sri Lanka, now that peace is round the corner. The industry itself is dynamic and tourists are demanding more value for money.

A ruined holiday can have very negative effects and it is time for a concerted effort to protect Sri Lanka's cultural heritage and environment.

The problems need to be tackled now! And this demands joint action by the government, municipalities and all of us.

It was with great pride that I read the news item about the Tamil Language Day at Ananda College, Colombo. The little Tamil I know, I learnt at Ananda in the early 1950s.

We were taught Tamil as a subject by Mr. Sivapathasundaram, whom we endearingly called Churchill, for his resemblance to Sir Winston Churchill. We had a good number of Tamil teachers during that era, namely Mr. Thanabalasundaram for English Literature and Mr. Govindapillai for Chemistry (with a bit of Shakespeare also thrown in) in the then SSC class. Then there was Mr. Selvaratnam (Botany), Mr. Arulambalam (Chemistry) and Mr. Panikkar (Zoology) from whom I had the privilege of learning. They were all of the highest calibre. This was during Mr. L.H. Mettananda's era as Principal, when he was labelled a Sinhala chauvinist by some sections of the press of that time. He was only highlighting the plight of the then Sinhala Buddhist, giving the indigenous culture and languages their due places.

During the era of Principal P. De S. Kularatne, Mr. (later Prof. and Cabinet Minister) C. Suntharalingam and Mr. T.B. Jayah, a Malay (later Cabinet Minister) were in the tutorial staff. I remember Mr. Murugananthan, who was a well respected teacher, being invited as the guest of honour to the high table at the centenary celebration dinner of the College in 1986. It was good to note that Minister Bakeer Markar, an Old Anandian himself, was the chief guest at the Tamil Language Day.

Though Ananda College was establish by Col. Olcott for the primary purpose of providing higher education to the badly neglected Sinhala Buddhist youth of our country, during that era, Ananda has always been at the forefront, serving the nation without prejudice. A knowledge of Tamil for the Sinhala student, and Sinhala for the Tamil student, is a crying need of the hour in this critical stage of our history when we are struggling for national reconciliation.

I would like to commend the present Principal, Mr. P. Abeyratna and the staff for taking the magnificent initiative of teaching Tamil at Ananda. I am happy that students from Ananda have come out with flying colours at inter-school Tamil language competitions.
Dr. Percy Karunatilaka
New Zealand

I was recently compelled to travel from Hikkaduwa to Moratuwa in a so-called "semi-luxury bus" and can only describe the journey as a semi-hell and a "near death" experience. For daily travellers this would have been a common feature.

The bus was driven at a terrific speed on straight stretches and the brakes applied suddenly, without any care for the passengers’ comforts, who were clinging onto seats and hand-railings.

The bus picked up passengers from all the major halts. Soon it was packed to capacity, with two rows of standing passengers too, apart from the seated ones. There was no A/C at all. Why are these called semi-luxury buses?

ea and moving at snail's pace through the towns due to heavy traffic. We had passed police personnel but they did not bother to stop the bus for speeding.

If the police start speed-checks on a regular basis and impose a fine for excessive speeding, this will reduce the accident rates. In addition, drivers should be given a reasonable target time to reach their destinations and time-keepers should be in each town to discourage speeding drivers.

The steps taken to recruit 500 graduates to be trained as English medium teachers to overcome the shortage of teachers are praiseworthy.

English medium education faces serious problems, like finding teachers for selected subjects such as Science, Mathematics and Environmental Studies. Subjects like Health and Physical Education are taught by professionally qualified teachers. Since Science graduate teachers are reluctant to teach Science and Mathematics in English, these subjects too are taught by English teachers in most schools. A majority of these teachers, though well-versed in English, are not professionally qualified in these subjects and their knowledge is often in question. This poses a threat to the future of the English medium. These should be taught by qualified teachers.

Science graduate teachers in service have completed their university education in English, but they do not come forward to teach in English because they lack language skills.

This can be overcome if they are provided with training. Since there is a dearth of Science graduates, I hope the Education Minister will select at least five hundred more Science graduates already in service, along with 500 to be trained to teach English medium classes.
M.S. Alikhan
Kalmunai

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