6th December 1998

• Vehicles for the disabled
• A stinking problem
• Who's going to pay?
• Well done Ms. Fernando
• Death trap at Digarolla
• Selections on what criteria?
• Oh dear! Mr. Hair again!

Vehicles for the disabled

Let me express in brief, as a disabled person myself, the difficulties we have to face in our daily travel when we take the public transport - bus or train.

At a time when able-bodied persons are finding it difficult to travel in public transport, the disabled experience immense difficulties and inconvenience in boarding a bus or train in squeezing themselves to 'get in' when other able-bodied persons elbow you out and many a disabled person has been shut-out in their daily travel.

The bus drivers are so indifferent that they even won't stop the bus, if they see a disabled person at a halt. Getting into the train is also a formidable task and the disabled cannot compete with able-bodied persons.

Therefore, to overcome this problem of transport for the disabled, we wish to draw the attention of the authorities concerned to allow duty free vehicles (such as trikes, hand-propelled vehicles and small converted cars for the disabled) as a solution to their mobility problems, in having their own modes of transport on the high roads.

May this catch the eye of the President as the Minister of Finance, to grant this concession which is an urgent need to solve the mobility problem of the disabled.

Patrick de Silva,
Negombo.

A stinking problem

The Ambagahandiya/Gothatuwa Road leading to the mosque in the area has become a garbage dump ground.

In spite of numerous requests made to the local authorities, to build a few 'Garbage Bins'' on the reservation area of this road, so far nothing has happened.

Adding insult to injury the drain which was built by the Western Provincial Council after highlighting it in The Sunday Times of 17.11.96, is not a drain anymore, as the outlet of this drain has been completely blocked by the garbage, which is thrown in day in and day out even by the people who come in their vehicles.

This area also has a very high rate of 'Filaria' detections. If no immediate action is taken by the authorities concerned, a severe epidemic of all sorts will break loose and the helpless rate -payers will have to suffer immensely. Wish this will enlighten the "Bosses'' of the ruling P.A. to settle this "stinking'' problem of the area.

M. Jayawardene
Gothatuwa.

Who's going to pay?

Just as the 'people-friendly' and 'humane' Government came to power, a "Twenty five percent'' increase in postal rates resulted in it being doubled from one rupee to two rupees. Then again, a fifty cents increase and now another increase of a rupee, making it three fifty for a letter to be sent by post. Very strangely, no one has protested against this. Why?

Who will pay this increased postage? It is the ordinary man in the street, mainly. The privileged people like legislators, their relations and even government servants will send letters free. Is this fair?

Why not make all pay, to send their letters, and keep the rate at a reasonable level - say two rupees. If all are made to pay, the losses can be recovered. It is certainly no 'people-friendly' act to pass on the losses only to some people while others enjoy the privilege of posting letters free. The 'humane' part of governing must be shown in acts, not in just plain words only.

Malinga Perera,
Nugegoda.

Well done Ms. Fernando

I refer to the letter by Mrs. S. Fernando under the headline, 'If we can stand, why can't they?' appearing in The Sunday Times of November 22.

I wish to congratulate her for her very gutty letter.

Although I cannot say I belong to the "learned" people I think I belong to the "right thinking" actually left thinking! I agree with her in toto.

What caught my eye was that she was concerned to ask the conductor in a loud voice, what the sign "Poojaka Pakshayata" meant. If many others have the guts to ask questions like this instead of "minding their own business" a lot of good will be done. The silent ones minding their own business are in fact 'cowards.'

If men and women in robes be they yellow, white or brown conduct themselves in a way that they earn the respect of others, then this question of seats for the, 'Poojaka Pakshaya' will not arise.

I am sad to say that the worst offenders are young able bodied persons in yellow robes who go to the extent of ousting frail old ladies from their seats with no compuction at all.

I for one will always like Mrs. Fernando, in a loud voice refuse to budge from my seat for any one other than an old person or one disabled.

Lt. Col. S. Wijayaratne,
Nugegoda.

Death trap at Digarolla

The residents of Horetuduwa in particular are thankful to the Defence authorities for setting up an Army checkpoint at Digarolla Bridge at the Moratuwa/ Panadura border. The bridge built over 100 years ago by the British could be regarded as the oldest point of entry to the Colombo District from the South. As such, it is familiar as a vantage and strategic point to many peace loving citizens and travellers. There were rumours that it could be blown off by disruptive elements to cause chaos. But sanity prevailed in the late 1980s. Therefore it is most opportune that the Defence authorities thought it fit to transfer the checkpoint from Katubedde to Digarolla.

Though it is of much importance, this checkpoint has now become a veritable death trap to many a pedestrian and push cyclist. The barriers laid to stall vehicles travelling northwards to Colombo also block the flow of traffic to the South. The guardpost has intruded to the centre of the road and blocks the flow of traffic northwards by the attached ugly bamboo barricade. A little further away some used tyres have been placed on the centre of the road with a 'Thank you' sign. On the southbound lane a barricade blocks the traffic flowing down the incline. There have been instances previously where push cyclists have crashed into the pedestrians walking towards Mora-tuwa town, due to the difficulty in controlling the speed of cycles coming down the incline.

It is suggested that the ugly bamboo barrier extended from the guardpost be removed. This part of the road should be tarred to permit the north bound traffic to pass through the checkpoint at a slower pace.

The Defence authorities should act hastily in this matter before the unfortunate news of the death of either a pedestrian or of a cyclist is reported.

P. Lucian Fernando
Horetuduwa.

Selections on what criteria?

What ails the national cricket selectors? Otherwise how come they could select a team full of injured players and three juniors when players who have performed at international and local level have been ignored.

The selectors M/s Mendis, De Mel and Ahangama are all ex-national players who represented SSC. Is it because of this that they have selected six players from the same club which includes one player who has not even played one full season of domestic cricket at first class level and two players who were not in the original national pool of players but walked into the national team since they agreed to switch clubs.

It is a known fact that if you want to play for Sri Lanka you should come from a leading school in Maradana and play for the a certain Club!!!

Every cricket playing country knows that Australian wickets are bouncy and that every touring team takes a bowler of Pushpakumara's ability. Sri Lanka has already lost players such as Kalpage, Silva and Nawaz due to poor selection and sooner or later they will lose more.

Disgusted Supporter,
Colombo.

Oh dear! Mr. Hair again!

Darrel Hair's well publicised intention to call Muthiah Muralitharan again for suspected throwing, if the bowler has not mended his action, is certainly undermining Sri Lanka's chances of competing on equal terms at the next World Cup, for including Mr. Hair, in the panel of Australian umpires for the event, must be a foregone conclusion. Preventing Mr. Hair from umpiring in Sri Lanka's matches at the forthcoming triangular ODI series in Australia (And in the World Cup as well?), has been thought of as a way out of the impasse. Would forestalling Mr. Hair in this manner help Sri Lanka's cause or would it turn out to be a short sighted ploy with ramifications to further embroil Sri Lanka in the throwing controversy at the next World Cup and thereafter, is a question needing careful thought.

To start with, Mr. Hair is not the only Australian umpire who suspected Murali's action; Ross Emerson no-balled Murali when he was even bowling leg breaks. It is also increasingly likely, there are other Australian umpires waiting for an opportunity to fill Mr. Hair's shoes and uphold his controversial views if he is barred from standing in Sri Lanka's matches. Besides, it would be naive to expect the Australian Umpires Association to let down one of its prominent members without showing some spirit.

The common Sri Lankan standpoint that Murali should not be no-balled by umpires when he has been cleared by an ICC approved panel, is a clever sounding argument based on a false premise. If rulings by administrative bodies can pre-empt umpires from making spur of the moment decisions, then for instance, bowlers sworn by the ICC to have arms as straight as rulers throughout their delivery swings, suddenly can carry on pelting batsmen with arrant shies, and the umpires will be powerless to stop them. Under such circumstances, only the batsmen at the receiving end will look more distraught than the umpires themselves.

At least as a last resort to end the stalemate, it would not harm anyone, even at this late stage, to send Murali to Australia before the others, and arrange through diplomatic or other friendly channels to have an Australian panel of umpires, headed by Mr. Hair himself (Who else?) to subject Murali to the closest scrutiny possible and come to their own conclusions about his abnormal bowling arm and the particular action. We know beyond any doubt, Murali has an abnormally bent arm which results in his particular action, but the upshot of the whole thing is whether Mr. Hair knows this as surely as we do. If there are doubts in his mind, common sense says we have to ask him to examine Murali in whatever manner he deems it fit. Let Australian experts and sports doctors X-ray, and wire Murali's arm in every which way possible to get at the truth and clear their doubts. Murali no doubt will come out smelling of roses, and still wise from the ordeal. Thereafter, we can rest assured, Mr. Hair will swear by the orthodoxy of Murali's action, and it will never again be necessary to pull Mr.Hair out of Sri Lanka's matches, or tear out our hair in despair, at the thought of Mr. Hair.

K.G.W. Abeytunge,
Peradeniya.

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