• New traffic arrangements: some shortcomings

• Access road to British Council

• High productivity

• Our lethargic Postal Department

• No parking space for bank customers

• Debit Tax on Withdrawals and Tax on Interest in Savings Accounts

• Ambagamuwa Road - Gampola

New traffic arrangements: some shortcomings

This letter is written with the hope that traffic DIG, the IGP as well as other authorities will take notice. The new traffic arrangements that have been put in place on some roads of Colombo City are going to get people killed.

The one way flow of traffic on Thurstan Road (Munidasa Kumaratunga Mw.) has now led to motorists driving at break neck speed on all sides of the road. The traffic police have done this without thinking about the deadly results for those who work in offices and children and teachers of the University of Colombo and Thurstan College among others.

We who have to cross the Thurstan Road on a daily basis are scared to cross the road as killer motorists and maniac bus drivers do not stop at the crossings to allow pedestrians to cross.

The set of traffic lights opposite the Indian High Commissioner's house have to be operated by the pedestrians who wish to cross the road but the lights cannot be operated by those who come from the side of the Colombo University. Even when some one from the other side of the road gets the lights to work, the motorists who know that this is operated by pedestrians do not stop most of the time.

Unless something is done to ensure the safety of those who have to cross the road very soon, most likely either a school child, a teacher or an undergraduate will get killed.

We have informed the traffic police officers on duty at times on this road about this but there is no positive result. If a serious accident happens on this road the traffic police are responsible for that.

Already two accidents involving vehicles have taken place there in the first week of December. One person nearly died while trying to avoid a car while on the pedestrian crossing opposite Thurstan College. Take action before another accident happens.

G. T.

Access road to British Council

It appears that the access road to the British Council at Kollupitiya, namely, Alfred House Gardens has been taken over forcibly and illegally by the business houses and private houses abutting the road.

Thousands of people flock to the British Council daily but no vehicle can go upto the entrance of this institution as concrete blocks and iron railings have been fixed on the road.

I wonder what the Traffic Dept. of Colombo Municipal Council is doing.

D. S.

High productivity

While commending your editorial on productivity (Reference DN Dec. 22), I would like to stress that 'functional literacy' is one of the main requirements for achieving high productivity. This should receive greater attention in schools and universities.

SAM PILLAI, via email

Our lethargic Postal Department

A poor man or as a matter of fact an ordinary citizen in Sri Lanka has no telephone, faximile or e-mail facilities.

The only mode of exchanging of messages or information is by posting a letter or a post-card. The most appalling and horrible thing in the postal department is its inefficiency, including the delivery of letters.

Earlier there was an unwritten law in the postal department which said 'Letter posted - presumed delivered'. Today it is just the opposite, which could be said 'Letter posted - presumed gone astray'. Who is responsible for this grave lapse? Whose fault is this?

In the good old days, there were the Travelling Post Offices in the long distance trains. This TPO consisted of a Chief Postmaster, his assistants, sorters and all other paraphernalia and they activated work whilst the trains were on the move.

Also the Postal Department then consisted of one Postmaster-General and his deputy. Now there are umpteen number of Assistant Postmaster-Generals.

On August 25 I obtained a money order bearing No. M-21043690 for Rs. 2,000 from Kollupitiya Post Office to Godahena Sub-Post Office. The advice of this money order sent by Kollupitiya office had never been received. Later the Postmaster Kollupitiya who was informed of this sorted it out after much delay.

On Monday October 23, I sent three registered letters from Kollupitiya Post Office to Mount Lavinia, Panadura and Kalutara.

All these three registered letters had been received by their addresses on the 30th - after a lapse of one week. I have the registration receipt for this.

Efficient Postmaster-Generals like Victor A. Nicholas and Herbert Ehelepola Seneviratna must be turning in their graves in utter disgust having come to know the present deteriorated standard of the Postal Department.

ANANDA JAYASENA, Boralesgamuwa

No parking space for bank customers

On November 27, I went to the NSB Katubedda, and as usual parked my car opposite it. While transacting business inside the bank I was alerted by a member of the staff that a Police officer was pasting a sticker on my windscreen.

When I politely inquired from what offence I had committed I was told that I had parked my vehicle in a prohibited area. I told him that I was unaware of this as there was no indication in the vicinity about this restriction. Before he took my licence and started writing the charge sheet I explained my position to him but he was so obstinate that he refused to accept my explanation. There were several other vehicles parked near this place.

I have already made a complaint to the SSP traffic at Mount Lavinia. Banks are institutions where the public deal in large sums of money and isn't it a big risk to carry such amounts to and from vehicles parked away from the bank's premises.

As a retired bank employee I say that it is time that the bank managements and the police department take some action to lift this ban before any incident that will endanger life and property is reported.

To add insult to injury I was charged Rs. 50 at the Moratuwa Post Office as service charges to pay money to the State at a State institution. As the Sinhala adage goes, a man fallen from the tree gored by the bull!

I hope that this letter will catch the eye of the Postal Department too.

MERRIL T. M. DE SILVA, Moratuwa

Debit Tax on Withdrawals and Tax on Interest in Savings Accounts

A debit tax on withdrawals from Rs. 20,000 and a 10 per cent tax on interest of over Rs. 1,000 earned from savings accounts per month is levied.

A tax of 10 per cent on interest earned from savings accounts is a fairly huge amount and I consider this levy as very unfair, especially by those who are over 60 years and completely depending on bank interests on EPF/ETF that they have earned having had served the country two thirds of their lifetime.

These people do not draw pensions, though they have served for such a long duration. In old age, people need more money to meet with their expenditure on medicine and for medical attention to continue life until they die. Also some people have unemployed sick family members for whom there are no relief such as a dole system available from the Government, though such systems are available in other countries.

Instead of introducing these type of regulations which exert huge pressure and grievance on poor old citizens, the authorities should take measures to stop corruption and waste in Government departments and ministries which is abundantly happening by those institutions.

I believe that policy makers should take all these factors into consideration before introducing tax regulations of this nature which humiliate the downtrodden people, but not the mighty who always creep through tax regulations.

I hope that the policy makers who have introduced rulings completely forgetting old and the average citizens should give their consideration to redress this ruling to relieve the older citizens of this country.

MANJARI PEIRIS, Maharagama

Ambagamuwa Road - Gampola

There is no mercy whatsoever from the three-wheelers and pavement hawkers for a pedestrian to walk on the Ambagamuwa Road which is one of the Main Streets in the Gampola town.

It's no doubt that all pedestrians whoever walks through this street in the busy hours will find no way for them to walk through this street due to the very fact that this street is 'dominated' by the three-wheelers and vegetable/ fruit sellers.

At every inch and corner we could find a three-wheeler either parked, trying to park or moving around at snails speed looking for hires. this causes a great inconvenience to the public trying find ways to walk due to unavailable space to walk through as there is a risk of getting knocked down by these three-wheelers and other vehicles on this street.

One could see on one side of the road is these three-wheelers, then on the other side we see the pavement hawkers (vegetable sellers etc.) also dominating the street with their products for sale, which in addition to the vehicles cover up most of the road space thus depriving the public in using both sides of the road.

And also it's a pity to see the newly built Central Supermarket idling for more than a year yet no date of opening - the authorities concern are least bothered to have this Market opened as this to a great extent will minimize the crowd on the Ambagamuwa Street as most of the pavement hawkers could be accommodated in this market.

However an immediate solution should be sought about the overcrowded street with the three-wheelers. In a situation of this nature, how can the public use this street?

M. A. J. SAMATH, Gampola