Pettah is called a commercial hub of Sri Lanka, but unfortunately it has become a “hell” because of the non-implementation of the law mainly by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
Gas Paha Junction is a good example and proof of the inefficiency of CMC and UDA. This junction is the meeting place of several main roads – Sea Street, Main Street and Dam Street that converge on St. John’s Market and the Central Bus Stand. Hundreds of vehicles, mainly buses and lorries, entering the city stop at or pass through this junction daily.
There are two roundabouts at the centre of Gas Paha Junction. Vehicles for hire, including three-wheelers, are parked in-between these roundabouts. There is no path for pedestrians to use, because the pavements are crowded with encroaching shops. Pavement vendors are forced to occupy the roads with their “thattu business”. This is by far the ugliest junction I have ever seen in Sri Lanka.
I earnestly request the CMC and the Urban Development Authority to take immediate action to restructure and re-organise this junction. All pavements should be cleared, all unauthorised and illegal constructions should be removed, and no vehicles for hire should be allowed parking space at this spot. Moreover, the roundabouts do not serve any purpose, and these too should be removed. In short, please implement the Law.
I was hoping Gas Paha Junction would be cleared during the SAARC Summit, when the whole city of Colombo was getting a makeover, but unfortunately for us the SAARC leaders did not travel through this junction, and so the eyesore that is Gas Paha Junction remains.
If the authorities concerned do not take immediate action to clear this junction, perhaps we should take some photographs of the junction as it is and send these to all SAARC leaders, showing them what Colombo City looks like in reality.
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