Congratulations, Sunday Times, for your bold exposé of the destruction of Mattala and its environment, the damage being done to the forests and the trauma being caused to the animals.
Mattala is a dry zone region where reforestation is difficult. Sri Lanka’s forest-to-land-mass ratio is already far too low. If there is no reforestation, desertification will surely follow. With so much talk of “Ape Kama”, why are we giving all our big construction jobs to foreigners? Surely, Sri Lankan construction companies are just as capable of building airports and seaports? Our engineers and other professionals go to work in foreign countries because their skills are not recognised or adequately rewarded here.
The community of civil engineers and other professionals should take this matter up with the authorities.
The foreigners who come here to work on contracts have no great love for our country or our people. Their one aim is to make money. More often than not, they give us poor quality work and delay projects.
A case in point is the Colombo-Matara expressway. The media reported that several bridges on the expressway have collapsed, even before the expressway was opened. One person was killed.
The Katunayake Airport Road has been under construction for more than 20 years. The road is only 40 kilometres long. Surely there is something wrong somewhere.
The Chinese are here in large numbers in the South, at Norochchalai and elsewhere. We hear that the Indians too will be coming here in large numbers – to build houses in the North and the East.
At the recent election, there was a lot of talk about making Sri Lanka the Pride of Asia. What does this mean? Is our goal to overtake Singapore and Malaysia economically? If that is the case, then how many years will it take us to do this?
Are we depending on the Chinese, the Indians and the other foreigners here to make us the Pride of Asia?
Our politicians and professionals must take responsibility for this situation and make every effort to set things right.
K. A. Perera,
Mount Lavinia |
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