Water transport: the new normal
Reading the news item and viewing over the electronic media, the inauguration of a boat travel from Union Place to Fort, I am reminded of the original plan to shift the capital of Sri Lanka Colombo to Sri Jayawardenapura, during the regime of President J.R. Jayewardene thus making Colombo a commercial city and Sri Jayawardenapura as capital city, the administrative hub.
It was proposed to shift all government offices and ministries to Sri Jayawardenapura so that the public could transact business with government offices in one area easily, and other developments to make Jayawardena Pura a beautiful city – Inner city (Indigenous park) Highway landscaping, Lake walks, Cultural Grove, Bird Sanctuary etc. However, the master plan drawn was partly implemented and with the change of presidency, R. Premadasa did not pursue the earlier plan and some lands were said to have been sold to private parties. If the plan was implemented, the present scandal of renting buildings at exorbitant prices would not have arisen and saved taxpayers’ money. It is pity all succeeding governments, scrap well-planned development plans prepared by earlier governments for reasons, either to not to give credit to the previous regime or for mostly alleged corruption, fraud etc.
Having said that, it is considered necessary to quote, though lengthy from the masterplan, what was envisaged in developing water transport so that the present government or governments to come would at least know what the original plans were and thinking behind of these developments – its benefits. Maybe the original of this valuable document is either lost or gathering cobwebs in some Record Room, never heard of by present officials or Ministers.
“The handsome disposition of marshes and waterways have been taken to its maximum advantage in designing a body of water with winding tentacles that reach every important township of the City. The City will thus be united by water and inter-linked by an efficient water transport system.
A tentacle of the main body of water surrounding the Parliament stretches out to the North and enters river Kelani close to Peliyagoda, passing its way via Etul Kotte and Kolonnawa. It will also connect with the Beira Lake in the heart of the Commercial Capital of Colombo via the existing system of canals.
At Etul Kotte, at the Northern end of the Ancient Kingdom, a body of water will branch off to the South and open up to a beautiful lake on the western banks of the Ancient Kingdom, much the same way, that Diyawanna Oya surrounds it. This lake will stretch out to Nugegoda township and flow through the Kirillapona canal skirting Nawala township to end up in the sea at Dehiwala and Wellawatte.
The design of the lake also envisages opening up of the ancient outer most as a water tunnel to link the main lake surrounding Parliament with the lake simulating similar land to water relationship that existed more than five centuries ago at the ancient capital of Sri Jayawardenapura. It will once again feature like an island.
The main lake will also flow to the South West skirting the landscape of Beddegana up to the township of Mirihana. In a South Easterly direction, it will reach Talawatugoda and passing through Thalapathpitiya and Depanamatownships will dive under the Eastern arterial way (High Level Road) in a water tunnel to end up in Weras Ganga, changing direction to a south-westerly way. The river named Weras Ganga will be linked at Boralesgamuwa and the canal system crisscrossing the commercial capital through the waterway.
Another tentacle will stretch out to the North East and will flow around the townships of Pelawatte and Akurugoda to link with the ancient tank of Talangama. From here it will flow Northward along the city boundary to end up in river Kelani at Ambatale connecting the ancient tank of Mulleriyawa.
Besides these major branches, there will be other water bodies designed to enhance the topographic features of specific locations.
As designed above, water will form a unique feature in the new capital. Using water transport system it will be possible for one directly reach the townships of Etul Kotte, Battaramulla, Pelawatte, Talangama, Thalawatugoda, Madiwela, Beddegana, Mirihana, Pitakotte, Nugegoda, Nawala, Rajagiriya, Kolonnawa, Wellampitiya, Kotikawatte, Malabe, Mulleriyawa, Thalapathpitiya, Depanama, Werehera, Boralesgamuwa. Waterways will pass many other townships at a distance. In all of the above townships connected by waterways, boat terminals will be located at convenient locations.
At Kolonnawa, Battaramulla, Pelawatte, Thalawatugoda, Depanama, Nugegoda, Pita Kotte, and Kotikawatte direct interchange transport terminals will be designed to enable passengers to interchange from the system to another in the three-pronged transportation system”.
In view of the present serious congestion in traffic in our highways, it would be advisable to consider the above and if necessary, amend to meet future demands in transport.
Picture by Hirantha Gunathilaka
G. A. D. Sirimal
(Mis)chosen one?
Sri Lankan politics is setting the lead, in a new vision. Since the declaration, that there will be a presidential election, parliamentarians are looking forward to contesting, or giving conditional support to other contestants, weighing the advantages.
While accepting that this is a democratic right of all citizens, yet, many are forgetting that there are written and unwritten standards to follow. In Sri Lanka, some citizens, view the contesting for the presidency of the country, as a normal matter, the quality, experience, the standing, the character of the individual, is not given serious consideration.
The one elected has not only to face the multi-ethnic and multi-religious society locally but also stand up to the acceptability of the international community. His knowledge and character must be impeccable.
His heritage must pass the stringiest test if Sri Lanka needs to gain recognition and our passage made easy in dealing with all the other countries and institutions.
Now, Sri Lanka has become the cynosure locally and overseas and people are stunned at the choice of candidates. We have one who has to face so many criminal charges in an adopted land, and charges in his land of birth. We have another, in a copybook style of his father.
Belonging to the oldest party, and because of his gallery, oratorical skill, a genetic inheritance, was elevated as a vice-captain in his party, above other seniors, as those seniors were not howling.
Now this vice-captain, with his inherited presumptuous background, has decided to revolt, not only against the party, but also the standard norms and ethics, and is publicly announcing his stand, his desire to grab the presidency of this country with scant regard for procedure and etiquette.
He has swallowed the ‘dead rope’ of some of the opportunistic politicians, who are at the dead-end of their carrier, and carried away lulling himself. This vice-captain will not win, it is just not possible, but in the process has dug his downfall.
I advocated patience for five years and the next presidency, would have been his, now his party will split and only a carcass will remain.
How could a member of a party, also holding a senior position, announce his desire to contest from the party, without the party anointing him. This is gross insubordination, and in the mercantile sector, he would have been fired, without notice.
Walter Fernando
Ratmalana
Dummy candidates at presidential elections
With the Presidential Elections round the corner, a collateral responsibility devolves on the Election Commissioner to oversee that the process of electing a leader for the country, by the people, is done according to the rules laid down in the Constitution and any other procedure established by law.
The Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, who has been accredited in several quarters as a redoubtable administrative officer, who has proved himself that he is not afraid to call, a spade a spade, has this time issued a timely warning about the insidious damage that the ‘entity’ called Dummy Candidates would cause to the electioneering process, when they are found in the Election fray as pseudo candidates. They play the role of hirelings, of those groups or minor parties that are affiliated to the main candidate’s party. The history of our Democratic election would reveal that these species called dummy candidates are not extinct, as their prototype then described as Independent Candidates were found to exist in the political spectrum of yesteryear elections, that immediately followed the post-Independent era.
Recognized political parties frowned upon them with ridicule and sarcasm. The opinions expressed by Mahinda Deshapriya about Dummy Candidates in the contextual circumstances of contemporary politics is strongly reminiscent of similar sentiments expressed by no less a person than, late Dr. Colvin R de Silva, a great legal luminary, philosopher, and statesman, who used the epithet ‘three-headed’ donkeys to portray the tragicomic role the independent candidates played in the Parliamentary elections of the early fifties.
Last but not least, the election commissioner deserve high accolade for bringing to the notice of the public this inherent incongruity in the present presidential electoral system and I think that the future leadership should take deep cognizance of his observations and remove this anachronistic absurdity from the statute book, to prevent scheming minds from prostituting the process of democratic elections..
B. H. S. Jayasekera,
Attorney-at-Law
Monaragala
Computer literacy of university students
Level of knowledge and skill regarding the effective use of computer and technologies for individual’s aims is called computer literacy. However, the use purposes of the computer could change from person to person. Therefore, there is not an explicit standard regarding computer literacy levels. Yet, there is a common view of basic computer literacy levels. Although, there conducted studies concerning computer use in many fields, a very limited number of studies related to computer literacy levels could be reached. For instance, while the qualities of adults are being questioned generally they are supposed to be literate of the computer but there is no assessment regarding this situation.
In this regard, it is crucial to analyze the computer literacy levels of university graduates. There are about sixteen universities in Sri Lanka. It is time to study the computer literacy of undergraduates in these universities. There are opportunities in Sri Lanka for the use of ICT within the university system, but this may change depending on how the scholars use them for their education.
Today’s students are in for mastering the concepts, theories and basic knowledge of different disciplines and with understanding of all the necessary criteria and strategies to find relevant information that is valid for their area of study or research. For university students it is necessary to have knowledge and skills in the field of digital technology to be able to use information effectively in its different forms e-publications, online video, audio recordings, digital libraries, databases, etc. Undergraduate students must have the ability to use the internet to find facts about university thesis, assignments and their reports.
Therefore the courses in the university system should be tailored to the technology - independently and find effectively the relevant information and information resources for specific tasks; knowing and using library information resources in the network; using appropriate search strategies in different information systems e.g. Google, Yahoo and other resources for finding information. Also by concerning the students’ skills or critical and reflexive attitude towards information and responsible use of information technology as a prerequisite for social adaptation and work in the digital society. Such students’ competences as evaluating, analyzing, synthesizing, using and interpreting information, deriving new knowledge from acquired information and understanding the economic, legal and social issues related to the ethical and legal use of technology are essential for solving them.
To improve the professionalism of the graduates who leave the universities, they must be computer literate during university time. Career-guided digital programming should be created within the universities. Creating a university level “E-learning” societies is also very important to the teaching-learning process.
M.D.C.L.T. Ariyatillake
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