The foundation laying ceremony for the Central Bus Stand of the historic city of Galle took place on October 3 with Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa as the chief guest.
Also present at the occasion were Minister of Transport, Kumar Welgama, Minister of Indigenous Medicine, Piyasena Gamage and the Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, Gunaratne Weerakoon, Members of Parliament, Mayor, Methsri De Silva, members of the Galle Municipality and other officials.
If we turn back the pages of time, there are numerous milestones related to transport in Galle like the extension of the horse carriage transport system from Colombo to Galle in 1838. The horse carriage service was first started in 1832 transporting people from Colombo to Kandy and was used exclusively by the rich. From the time this mode of transport was extended to Galle it became popular among the middle class too.
The headquarters of the horse carriage transport service and the main horse carriage stand happened to be on the land adjacent to the spot for the new bus stand, where the Bon Café, National Hotel and Empire Hotel are now located.
On another front, it was during the time of the Governor Sir Henry Ward (1656 - 1860) that the up country train service was inaugurated and extended up to Aluthgama in 1890, to Galle in 1894 and Matara in 1895. As Galle became a naval base the construction of a modern bus stand was a long felt need.
The late MP D.G. Albert de Silva was instrumental in the construction of a bus stand in Galle in 1978. Unfortunately this was destroyed when the treacherous Boxing Day tsunami devastated the town in 2004. It was later rebuilt.
Several project proposals for the erection of a Central Bus Stand were put forward but funds needed for such a project were not forthcoming. Now however, with the end of the war, many development activities are taking place.
The chief architect of this project, Hemantha Wijewardena disclosed that the Central Bus Stand building complex will be built to hold various categories of mini exhibitions and displays, on a directive by the President.
The political leadership representing the Galle district from the United National Independent Alliance and the members of the Municipal Council have pledged their support for this project. The Central Bus Stand will serve the large number of people thronging the town as the majority commute by bus.
The Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau of Sri Lanka hopes to complete the construction work within the next six months.
MP Dr. Ramesh Pathirana disclosed that work is going on for the development of the Port of Galle as a tourist destination.
A sports stadium in Dadella will be completed. Plans are also in the pipeline for the renovation of the Teaching Hospital at Karapitiya and the Mahamodera hospital. The Flood Water Management Project and provision of infrastructure for landscaping the city, too are some of the plans to make Galle the bustling capital of the Southern Province. |
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