Letters to the Editor

Death at railway crossings:Don’t wait for another, let’s stop it now
The death toll from accidents at railway level-crossings keeps mounting year after year with no effective solution found to end this unnecessary criminal loss of life and limb. Immediately after an accident there is a hue and cry with papers carrying banner headlines and the electronic media screaming to bring the culprits to book. A few days later, the incident is forgotten and relegated to the limbo of the past.

This matter warrants 'top priority' from the government and public-spirited citizens of the island. Here are a few observations and suggestions made for the information of the authorities concerned.

At most railway level-crossings, the barriers erected on both sides of the railway line are not long enough to block the road completely, making it possible for vehicles to circumvent them by driving zig-zag across the level-crossing. These barriers should be lengthened to block the entire road.

And, as an added precaution, boards should be erected 200 yards from level-crossings cautioning approaching trains to blow their horns or sirens on drawing near the level-crossing. This will solve the problem once and for all.

Drivers of vehicles resort to circumvention tactics on account of the long waiting-periods at these barriers. Hence, what is necessary is to reduce these delays to the bare minimum. Since trains do not generally run to time, Station Masters should consider it their sacred duty to ensure that staff at these barriers block the road not more than five minutes prior to the actual time the train is expected to pass the level-crossing (not the scheduled time).

Needless to say, delays at railway level-crossings do tax the patience of commuters alright and when trains get late by over 15 minutes, commuters keep sweating and frustration builds up to boiling-point. This is a yeoman service Station Masters can perform to relieve commuters of their frustration and prevent frustrated and irresponsible drivers from taking risks with the innocent lives of commuters.

Another problem is the conduct of errant drivers and the action taken to bring them to book. The Police are helpless when owners of vehicles involved in accidents are very, very influential 'big-wigs' or are connected to such 'high-ups' that a mere telephone call can 'settle matters'.

It is time this corrupt state of affairs is fairly and squarely discussed, at the highest levels, with the parties involved and a line of action arrived at for the Police to take effective action without fear or favour.

A related issue to this problem is the increasing number of incompetent and unskilled drivers at the wheel of public vehicles. If the stringent tests carried out in the Middle East to determine the competence of drivers are adopted here, we can have better drivers on our roads. And, for a start, a rule should be introduced empowering the Traffic Police to cancel on the spot, the licences of drivers committing specific traffic offences. Fresh licences should be issued only after the offenders pass a stringent test as is the case in the Middle East.

It is hoped that the General Manager, Railways, Inspector General of Police, Registrar of Motor Vehicles and any committee or commission appointed to look into this matter will give particular attention to the observations and suggestions made in this letter. It is possible with the recent advances in infomation technology.

What is called for is sincere commitment on the part of all concerned to solve this problem once and for all.

Who is assisting what?
These days newspapers often carry advertisements by government ministries/departments inviting applications from graduates for the filling of various vacancies in their cadres. Most of these posts so advertised, are designated as "Assistants" of some description or other like Administrative Asst., Financial Asst., Engineering Asst., Technical Asst. and so on.

In my 40 years service in several departments, I was not aware of so many "assistant" posts in the public service. Of course there were certain officers so designated when holding certain positions like Office Asst., Technical Asst., Staff Asst., etc; but they were merely internal "honoris cause" designations. They were not specific posts carrying specific salary scales and other perks. For instance a senior clerical officer functioning as the head of an accounts branch was called the Financial Assistant and a MLTS officer assisting an engineer was designated as Engineering Asst. or Technical Asst. They were not entitled to special salary scales but continued to draw the salaries applicable to their substantive posts in the respective services. The basic entry qualifications for these services was not a university degree but GCE Advanced Level.

The Ministry of Public Administration by identifying the above positions as specific posts requiring a degree as an entry qualification has either been misled or purposely done so to accommodate the large number of graduates who have swamped their Graduates Trainee Scheme.

Being hard put to finding suitable employment slots for the vast number of graduates in the Trainee Scheme, the government seems to be creating new posts out of positions formerly held by officers in other grades at no extra cost.
By implication it is creating employment for graduates at the expense of the lesser qualified.

We pay SRL, they get new vehicles
Starting in April this year an additional tax, a Social Responsibility Levy (SRL) is being deducted from my salary. I thought it was a good move and in fact every employed person should be made to pay at least Rs. 10 a month so that as a citizen of this country we are mindful of our social responsibility.

I could not believe my eyes reading an article in a Sunday paper that the Cabinet has approved duty free vehicle permits of US$ 23,000 to all 225 parliamentarians. Not satisfied, some are demanding permits for US$ 40,000. The MPs of our country indulge in luxury, whilst mother Lanka is holding up a begging bowl to the international community for aid to assist tsunami victims. I am so disgusted that I have told our accountant that I will not sign the pay slip in future, if the word social responsibility is not removed. He can deduct the tax to please the tax man, but not under the name of social responsibility.

It is pretty obvious that none of our parliamentarians know what social responsibility is.

Then why are we asked to pay a Social Responsibility Levy? Will at least Wimal Weerawansa or a member of the JHU care to enlighten the public if they disagree with me.

Drinking and drinking alone, is a crime too
Now it is the offence of drinking and driving that has helped the Traffic Police to have closer links with the drinking and driving public. The police are better and more oiled than ever before. I am certain that the drinking and driving public is concentrated in and around Colombo.

What is the percentage of people who drink and drive, as opposed to the number of people who drink and use public transport or a driver?

Politicians have always supported the legal and illegal liquor industry. It is a fact that we have a thriving illegal, unsupervised liquor industry. It is also a fact that all governments depend on the liquor industry, for revenue. The Police for all purposes of law and order have enough and more on their hands, and therefore it appears that deploying them in such large groups at night at an extra cost seems to be rewarding the policemen more than the nation.

If this nation is serious about drinking and driving it should also be serious about drinking and drinking alone, for those who travel by public or other transport after taking liquor are depriving their families of a better life, and are ruining their health at a cost to the nation.

So let's bring these drinking habits to an end. Install a policeman or two at the entrance of every hotel, restaurant, bar and club, with whatever necessary paraphernalia in their hands. This will close down many restaurants, bars and clubs, and let this country take the consequences.

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