| Letters
to the Editor |
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Our roads: Where
people fear to tread Though most
would not agree, or see eye-to-eye with DIG Traffic, Daya Jayasundera,
Such drivers
believe the road belongs to them, and are a law unto themselves.
Not only travelling
in a vehicle but even walking on the streets has become a terrifying
experience. Can one who
wants to cross the road at the yellow lines that is the right of
the pedestrian, be sure of reaching the opposite side safely? Traffic lights
apart (that indicate the right of the vehicle or the pedestrian
to move on or stop) does traffic move as it should? We see vehicles
openly flouting the law, taking U-turns, where they are not permitted,
if the police are not around. When there is a long line of traffic,
we see vehicles overtaking and breaking the line that crawls along. There is no
doubt that not only drivers of vehicles, but also pedestrians, are
as much to blame for this spate of accidents. People have
to discipline themselves, if we are to see a change on the roads.
In most countries
traffic moves smoothly in an orderly manner. They have their rush
hours, but they are well organized. In fact many prefer to use public
transport rather than their own vehicles. Buses, trains
and even the underground tube are fast moving and on time. Every
bus station, or halt, has a time-table and the buses arrive and
leave at the time mentioned. Our roads are
racing tracks, with vehicles trying to overtake not only the next
one but also those ahead. No doubt everyone
of these drivers wants to get to his destination as fast as possible,
but should it be by reckless driving. Accidents apart,
people are not disciplined and take the law into their hands and
go on the rampage, setting fire or damaging buses when an accident
takes place. What are the
causes and reasons for these accidents? When people dash across
the streets, does it not distract the driver? Another aspect
of the lack of discipline is seen in the way people are killed at
railway crossings. Those who are
aware of what they are doing would be cautious as they approach
a level crossing to see whether such crossings are clear to move
on. To see if a
train is approaching an unprotected level crossing is not difficult,
if only one is observant. Saluting
Rani's courage My fading memory
went back to 1946 when the Japanese were defeated and their allies
- Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army - were tried for treason
by the British at a show trial in New Delhi's Red Fort. Among the defending
counsel was Jawaharlal Nehru. The most striking figure in the dock
was Captain Lakshmi Sehgal of the women's Rani Ki Jhansi Regiment,
named after a heroic Rajput queen. This is the woman doctor who,
at the age of 87, had the guts to, once again, challenge the establishment.
Let us salute
the courage of this Rani of lost causes. Deterrent measures The following
measures should act as a deterrent: *Crossing the
double line: * Speeding: Speed Fine These suggestions
should be given due consideration by the authorities to make our
roads safe. There should
not be any exceptions, not even in the case of Ministers and MPs
who drive at break-neck speed flouting all road regulations. Hydro
& coal power-the other side All power projects
named hydro and coal are not cheap although they are said to be
cheap. Sri Lanka has
wet and dry seasons. As such in hydro power development it is essential
to have reservoirs to save water in the wet season, to meet the
needs in the dry season. In Sri Lanka,
hydro-power projects are being planned without reservoirs, spending
colossal amounts of money, to obtain a little power. The Upper Kotmale
and Kukule hydro power projects are examples. Energy from these
projects which are run-of-the river power plants, is only about
half of what can be obtained had they been provided reservoirs.
The Kukule
Ganga project without the reservoir is not only ineffective in dry
weather, but has also prevented the diversion of water to Ruhuna
- which is in need of this resource badly for agriculture. Now we have
a plant which will provide little power, discharging the precious
water to the sea. Meanwhile,
in the original plan for the Upper Kotmale project, proposed by
UNDP and later by me, on which the feasibility study was taken up,
the very important Caledonia reservoir was an integral part. Now
this vital reservoir has been removed and instead all the beautiful
waterfalls are to be tapped. In the original plans only St. Clair's
would have been affected and the others not touched. Without the
reservoir, the energy from this plant will be only one half of what
can be obtained. With regard
to a coal power plant, the most important task is to unload the
imported coal here and Norachcholai is not a suitable site. The only valid
objection to Kukule Ganga and Upper Kotmale is the absence of reservoirs
while for the coal power plant it is the problem of unloading coal
shipments. All other objections are unfounded and baseless. The electricity
from these three power projects will never be cheap though that
is what is said. A recent Securities
Exchange report has stated that the return on investment in Sri
Lanka is the lowest in the region as a result of such ill-conceived
projects. With the money
spent on one of these hydro power projects, a 300 MW coal power
plant could be set up at Mawella. Each of these
run-of-the river hydro-power plants produces only about 250 million
units of firm energy while a 300 MW coal plant at Mawella is capable
of producing 1800 million units of solid firm baseload energy, absolutely
essential for industrial development. This would be seven times
the capability of the hydro plants. Of course,
coal has to be imported and we have to leave an allowance for that. A 300 MW coal
power plant at Mawella will be far more effective than Upper Kotmale,
Kukule Ganga and Norachcholai put together. Transforming
the zoo to a showpiece I have visited
almost all the major zoological parks in the world. From New York's
Bronx Zoo, to the San Diego Zoo and wild animal park amongst numerous
others. My fascination with animals and birds has taken me to far
away continents, some of which were most exhilarating and adventurous
trips away from the beaten track. I had the rare
opportunity of visiting places like the Amazon, the rainforests
of Borneo and the large plains of Africa. I have a distinctive knowledge
of how animals behave in the wild and in the closed confines of
a zoo. Yet people
like the late Gerald Durrell in my opinion, one of the greatest
conservationists, zoologists and authors initiated the establishment
of zoological parks. When I visited
his Jersey zoological park I was amazed to see how much he had contributed
towards saving some exotic species from extinction. Recently I
had an opportunity to meet the man in charge of our own Dehiwela
Zoo, Brigadier H.A.N.T. Perera. I had mixed feelings about a man
with an army background as a Director of a Zoo. Durrell mentions
that a zoo must keep away two people, an architect and a veterinarian.
Sometimes an architect comes out with splendid ideas in creating
an animal enclosure, which after completion hardly satisfies the
animal's needs or compares with its native background. On the other
hand a veterinarian is too anxious in curing that the very injection
that is given to cure could be fatal to the animal and it dies from
stress. He had a deep meaning to this. We cannot tailor-make a Zoological
Director or appoint someone only by looking at qualifications. After speaking
to him for a few minutes I realised that he could transform our
zoo to a showpiece. He has a vision to improve the zoo to be the
best in South Asia if not in Asia. A zoo that is pleasant for people
to walk about and relax, for animals to walk free in habitats that
are close to their natural environment, and an opportunity for our
zoologists to study and research our endemic species before they
perish in the wild. Yes, we need
a zoo, and to justify this I can give hundreds of reasons. The present
conditions at the zoo which was established so many years back may
not be an example. Many people
who call for the shutting down of the zoo may have had the privilege
of visiting zoos outside but to the millions of Sri Lankans including
children, this is the only place where they can have a close encounter
with a lion or a sea lion. Today many generations of zoo animals
are bred in captivity just as a domestic cat or a dog. To trade
a wild and endangered animal like a gorilla or orang utan is almost
impossible even for a zoo. What is important is how we look after
them. If we can breed them in captivity it would be a jewel in the
crown. After years
and years of chaining elephants inside a shed, there are plans to
let them out. Most of the old dilapidated buildings are giving way
to larger enclosures. Without having
a large number of animals in cramped confinement the zoo will specialize
in accommodative and controllable numbers. The excess will be sent
to the new open zoo in Pinnawela. Most first class zoos do not 'hoard'
animals but rear endangered species in natural habitats. When running
a zoo, decisions have to be made fast but bureaucracy and red tape
could be detrimental. Let us preserve our zoo, a facility the residents
of Dehiwela could be proud of and a heritage bestowed upon our children. 'Letters
to the Editor' should be brief and to the point.
Address them to: 'Letters to the Editor, The Sunday Times, P.O.Box 1136, Colombo. Or e-mail to steditor@wijeya.lk or stfeat@wijeya.lk Please note that letters cannot be acknowledged or returned. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
he
was within his rights to focus on, not only bus drivers who recklessly
drive on our roads, but also people's lack of discipline. Reckless
bus drivers, who are at times under the influence of liquor are
as much to blame as pedestrians.
