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Wadduwa: Disputes behind the disaster
By Sachitra Mahendra
Following last week’s accident that claimed the life of a well-known businessman at an unprotected level crossing at Wadduwa, attention has been focussed once again on this deadly spot that has claimed many lives before.

Edna Chocolates Managing Director Palitha Edirisinghe was heading towards the Villa Ocean Hotel, through the access road-St. Patricks, when he met with the fatal accident. Most of the residents living close to the tracks blame the laying of double tracks about a year ago. This they say has reduced the clearance between the access road and the track thereby reducing the visibility of a vehicle driver of an oncoming train. They said most of the vehicles had to come so far forward to check on an oncoming train, that their bonnets almost stuck out onto the track. When this happens it is believed that the engine of the vehicles breaks down and it cannot go forward or reverse.

Speaking to some residents it became evident that there was a tussle between them and the management of Villa Ocean Hotel. The residents allege that although there is a requirement that rail tracks should have a minimum clearance of six metres on either side, Railway officials were bending the rules to suit the hotels in the area including the Villa Ocean. One resident claimed that when he had complained to railway engineers he had been threatened by the police not to interfere in Railway Department affairs. The resident said if the six metre rule was rigidly implemented some of the walls of Villa Ocean Hotel would have to be pulled down because the road parallel to the track would also have to be broadened.

Some residents also alleged that although the deadly spot had been manually protected by previous managements of Villa Ocean Hotel, that had been stopped by the present management. “Although we have complained many times to the police they shrug off responsibility saying if the hotel management has taken no steps to prevent accidents, what is it the police can do,” the resident charged.

One of the residents who appears to be the most-affected by the frequent accidents at this spot is R. Ratnapala who helps to take the victims-- most of them dead on the spot or dying--to hospital.

“Most of the time the victims are dead on the spot. It’s hard to even look at the bodies. I often vomit for days after an accident. Although we have informed the police, the hotel management and Railway engineers all we get are threats,” lamented Mr. Ratnapala.

Last Saturday, following the death of the Edna boss, residents had put up a barricade of stones on a byway leading to the track. Residents claim that the General Manager of Villa Ocean Hotel had threatened them and demanded that they remove the barricade as it blocked the route of visitors to the hotel . Residents also said that the police had arrived at the spot and threatened to take in the residents and later removed the barricade. After the alleged confrontation, residents also say that the hotel management had agreed to provide manual protection once again to the level crossing.

Meanwhile, as in most cases, when a high-profile tragedy occurs, the wheels begin to turn and the transport minister, Felix Perera, has assured that corrective action would be taken immediately.

Outlining some of the steps to be taken he said, some humps would be put up about half a kilometre away from unprotected railway crossings, and a sign board would be put up warning vehicles to reduce speed and to put down the shutters so that they could hear the bell ringing. The other proposals would include the expansion of parallel roads that fall onto a main road via a railway track and to present a cabinet paper on the installation of 250 modern level crossing barriers.

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