KMC, Police disagree over traffic plan change

The decision to revise the Kandy city traffic plan by the Mayor L.B. Aluvihare has come under fire from the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Central Range) Nimal Mediwaka who claims that the changes have been made without any consultations.

The Kandy Mayor reintroduced the previous traffic plan replacing the new system which was introduced in mid-January in which all vehicles entering the city were told to use the Peradeniya Road and those leaving the city the William Gopallawa Mawatha.

Police and residents were taken by surprise on Monday when the Mayor decided to revert back to the old traffic plan.

The new traffic arrangement was introduced from January 19 in a bid to ease congestion in the city with the KMC and the Kandy Police deciding together that this was the best scheme. But the KMC has unilaterally called off the arrangement without informing the Police, The Kandy Times learns.

DIG Mediwaka said the Police were not informed of the decision to revert to the old traffic arrangement and were caught unawares by the sudden change on the part of the KMC.

“Before the new plan was introduced, all relevant authorities were consulted and they were informed of it. But when the decision to revert to the old system was taken, no one was consulted,” DIG Mediwaka alleged. He said that the authority on traffic arrangements in the city is the KMC but by unilaterally acting in this manner, the people were greatly inconvenienced and this action was contrary to efforts to provide better welfare facilities to the people and improve their security. Under the new traffic plan, many leading roads in Kandy were made one way but it was not welcomed by many of the residents.