With three more days for the National New Year festive preparations are on but the high cost of living has brought mixed reactions from the public about celebrations.
Withanage Prakash, a private sector worker, said the cost of living was a bit too high and his spending capacity was less than previous years. “With the increase in taxes the prices of goods have gone up including bus fares too, limiting travelling during the season.
Jayamali, a government sector worker from Kadawatha said the prices of items were too high to buy gifts for family members with the salary she earned.
Mohomed Ajini who sells belts and baby suits on the pavements in Pettah said business was down this year as people complain that they don’t have enough money to spend.
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| “Anything within my budget”: A customer looks through some T shirts. Pix by Hasitha Kulasekera |
“People are facing hard times these days. There were more people buying things last year during this season,” he said.
G John a father of two sells T- shirts. “Earlier a belt was Rs.250 now it is Rs.350, a shirt that was Rs.450 now sells at Rs.600 or more now and a trouser that was around Rs.600 is now more than Rs.1000.
So people are not shopping as much as they did before,” he said.Mohomed Imran of Apple shoes sharing the same view said people visit his shop but when they hear the prices they go away withougt making any purchases. “ I pawned almost everything I had to set up this shop but since the prices of goods have gone up by 50% it’s a bleak season this year,” he said.
Rishanthi Sugunawardane a banker from Galle said she had come to Colombo to shop for the New Year but everything was too expensive.
Lalitha Perera a traffic warden from Kadawatha said with her salary she was finding it difficult to buy gifts for her children and grandchildren as she did every season.
In another front, N. A. Sena a threewheeler driver from Kadawatha complained that his number of hires hadn’t increased although the season was round the corner. “There’s no difference that New Year is only a few days away. I have two children and during the New Year we usually buy new clothes for them but things are hard this time,” he said.
Anura Asoka Kumara a metered taxi driver said that it was not as profitable as people think to have a metered taxi. “We thought during the New Year season the number of customers will increase but it is not so. We hardly get any hires and it is not profitable to have a metered taxi.”
Not all share this bleak view about the upcoming festivities. A cashier at Harshana Fashions said the garments business this year was better than last year. He said people from Galle, Matara and Anuradhapura areas have come to Colombo to shop for the season
Vijitha Jayasinghe from Kiribathgoda who has come to Colombo to do her shopping said there wasn’t such a big difference in the prices of clothes. However she complained that the choice of clothes was limited.
Sewwandhi Chamika a mother of one from Kottawa said that the prices of items this year was not as bad as they expected. “We can buy enough things for the New Year without much difficulties,” she said.
Sanjeewa Pathirana, the manager, of Titus household goods store said the sales for household items had increased by 10% compared to last year.
A vegetable seller Sashi Kumar said people had no complaints about the prices of veggies.
Meanwhile, special transport and police arrangements have been made for the upcoming season the Sunday Times learns.
Sri Lanka Transport Board Deputy Director General Sarath Kumara said there will be special bus services plying from the Colombo central bus stand to anywhere in the Island adding that more than 900 extra buses would be on the roads during the season. He said 90 buses was also being deployed on the Southern expressway while there will be a special bus service in the free trade zones for workers to get to their villages for the New Year.
National Transport Commision chairman Roshan Gunawardena, said a special bus service was in operation since last Thursday adding that a special sticker system has been introduced to differentiate between ordinary buses, semi-luxury buses and luxury buses.. He said the stickers were in all three languages.
Director planning for the Colombo Fort railway station Vijay Samarasinghe, said 16 special trains have been deployed from Colombo Fort to other parts of the country. He also said extra compartments had been added onto trains and more railway security officers have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Police spokesman SP Ajith Rohana said more police officers will be deployed around the country from tomorrow. He said this was in addition to the 6000 officers who have been deployed in Colombo city and the suburbs in a programme launched to prevent crime.
“More police officers will be deployed in other main cities like Galle and Kandy and near shopping complexes, bus stands and where people congregate,” he said.
He said people should take precautions during the season and be vigilant of valuables when attending musical shows and carnivals during festivities. He also asked the public to be cautious when leaving their houses unattended.
“People should not leave their door keys under a mat or a flower pot because this makes it easy for robbers to break in,” he warned.
While warning that those who drink alcohol or smoke in public would be dealt by the law, he said young women in particular should be careful during the season, as they could become victims of sexual harassment. “Women should avoid going about after dark as there maybe drunkards loitering around.”
“There will also be a special traffic plan in place from tomorrow for two weeks. As there is always an increase in the number of accidents during any festivities whether it be Christmas or New Year we will be keeping a check on unruly drivers. Traffic cops will be working round the clock and a separate team will be deployed to apprehend drunken drivers, road rule violators.”
He also said people will have to be extra vigilant about where they park. “Especially in Colombo, Kandy and other major cities make sure you park in the allotted place if not the vehicle will be towed to the nearest police station and the person will have to pay fines,” he said. This precaution was being taken to avoid traffic blocks due to the increased number of vehicles on the roads during the season.
Meanwhile hospital authorities have asked the public to be cautious of accidents. National Hospital spokesperson, Pushpa R. Zoysa, said last year during the New Year season there were 704 OPD patients and 268 hospital admissions.
“During New Year people are usually busy rushing here and there. Usually between April 13 and 15 more than a 1000 patients are admitted mainly due to their own carelessness,” she said.
She also warned that “ a single fire cracker can change a person’s life. There have been incidents where a person’s fingers have been severed from his hand due to a firecracker. If people are more cautious they can truly enjoy a happy and prosperous New Year.” |
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