Letters to the Editor
View(s):Electrocuting the public with increased electricity tariffs
Whether or not to increase the electricity tariffs is a topic of heated debate in Parliament. The mere thought of it gives the public the jitters. The Public Utilities Commission claims that it’s illegal to increase tariffs. The decision not to have power cuts during the A’Level exams is fluctuating like the power supply.
Meanwhile the engineers say there is no naphtha to run the Kelanitissa power plant and the Norochcholai power plant is starved for coal. As we are in the midst of a financial crisis it is difficult to pay for the supply of fossil fuel. So the engineers propose power cuts to conserve energy. Is this the only solution the members of an innovative profession can give the public who at the moment are burdened to the hilt with taxes, increased cost of living etc?
Our motherland is abundantly blessed with sources of renewable energy (energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed) in the form of sunlight and wind all year round. The sun unfailingly rises in the East and sets in the West and drenches our island with light and heat. Even on most gloomy days there is enough light to generate electricity. Why are we wasting this bountiful supply?
Currently the country uses the full potential of its hydro power to generate electricity. Solar power would make another very affordable source of clean energy. It would also make it possible for the citizenry to sell power to the Government at a much cheaper rate than the rates we pay to the Government to purchase an irregular and expensive supply. The Government could provide low interest loans to install solar panels on household roofs. Factories, hotels and schools could be encouraged to install solar panels on their roofs. These measures would, over a period of time serve to decrease our reliance on fossil fuel to generate electricity. It would increase standards of living too.
India is converting entire villages to generate solar power. Adding to the benefits mentioned, it also enables those villagers to sell electricity to the Government. Am I having pipe dreams by saying that if such villages could be initiated in the dry zone, it would create a source of income to the villagers in times of drought and an
additional income throughout the year?
It is a pity that while the world is looking at renewable energy as a viable option to provide clean energy, the Sri Lankan policymakers and the engineers are still relying more on fossil fuel which is also harmful to the environment.
Mayanthi Jayasinghe Via email
Rooting out ragging
When considering the students who become the victims of ragging, it is clear that they are from urban popular schools, middle or upper middle-class students. When it comes to raggers, it is seen that they often come from low-income family backgrounds and are associated with ultra-radical political parties.
According to my experience as the Chief Marshal of a state university, the common characteristics of raggers include their weak personality, intolerant nature, indifference towards education, lack of understanding of good and evil, as well as strong class hatred mixed with jealousy.
In the situation where the society has some respect for them as “ugath daruwo”, it is seen that these students behave in an arrogant and arbitrary manner, misusing that common feeling of the people without giving thought to their illegal behaviour. Due to various political and personal reasons, some university dons too have also become pawns of student unions that promote ragging, disrupting the smooth functioning of state universities.
Inhumane ragging is a barbaric act that is not acceptable in a civilized society. Students who are severely affected by ragging may suffer from various mental and personality disorders later in their lives. The unfortunate situation is that a considerable number of students are leaving their courses because they unable to bear the brutal ragging. Although there are legal provisions to control ragging, many university authorities are reluctant to take action. In this situation, until all the university authorities implement the well formulated legal provisions given in the Ragging Act to the letter, eliminating this wild practice from our universities will be just a dream.
Major General Keerthi Kottawaththa (Retd) Via email
The fall
An old Mara tree of a campus
Fell to the axe
Long time ago when it was a plant
They nurtured it with great care
When they came to cut it down
It looked at the sky for Mother Nature’s help
But it saw only the sky
and the clouds
It remembered its roots
But they were all underground
It had a dream of many seeking
its shade
In the years to come
Now, everything was over
It had no arms to fight back
It came down
A young university student
Got caught to a terror gang
in the eighties
He was unarmed and so
was helpless
He pleaded with them
Reminding them of loving
kindness and compassion
But it was all in vain
He called out to the divine
powers above
But there was no one to hear him
His cry of agony of his
brutal death
He had a dream of creating a just society for all
But it was not to be
He was brought up with difficulty
But with love and hope
In his journey from baby to man
Now everything was over
For him and the Mara tree
-Priyadarshini Keerthisinghe Via email
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