The Central Provincial Council Health Minster Champika Wijeratne conceded that the channel practices in Kandy and elsewhere charged arbitrary fees, did not provide adequate facilities to patients and often provided an unsatisfactory service. He was answering a question raised by CPC member Lucky Jayawardena (UNP) at a recent meeting of the Council.

The minister also revealed that the CPC had no systematic data on the number of Channel Centres in the province, the rates that were charged and the type and quality of services that were provided. He said that his ministry was now in the process of collecting such information and would provide a more adequate answer to the Council within one month.

CPC Officials Accused of Giving Misleading Information

JVP Provincial Councilor Saminda Kularatne accused officials in the Central Provincial Council (CPC) Education Ministry of providing misleading information in a reply to a question that he had raised at the Council.

Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake who is also the CPC Minister of Education answered a question from Mr. Kularatne in respect of new school buildings constructed by the Council. The Councilor wanted to know how many school buildings that were designed after 2000 as multi storey buildings remain incomplete after completing only the ground storey. Chief Minster Ekanayake basing his reply on figures supplied by officials claimed that there were 73 such buildings. Mr. Kularatne disputed the accuracy of the figure and claimed that in some cases not even the first storey had been completed. He also noted that the engineers respobnsible have failed to give an accurate assessment of the number of years the concrete slab “roofs” of the buildings would last if the second storey is not completed.

KMC Committee to Standardize Building Regulations in Kandy Town

The KMC has appointed a committee to develop a set of regulations that would update and standardize building construction in Kandy along the main roads and streets in the town. At present there is no uniformity in the regulations. Council sources also say that the existing regulations do not meet the requirements of the 21st century.

Mayor L B Aluvihare will chair the committee. The other members of the committee are Deputy Mayor Suminda Wickremasinghe, Leader of the Opposition Thilina Tennakoon, MMCs Ilahee Ahbdeen, Sarath Wijesinghe, Vipula Ranasinghe, Raja Pushpakumara and Anura Gonawela, and officials W A R Wimalasiri, (Commissioner), Mrs. S K I Wijewardena (Chief Works Engineer), P B Abeykoon (Water Engineer) and Dr,. A S A Senarath (Chief Medical Officer of Health).

Kandy Area Computer Vendors Form Association

The Sri Lanka Computer Vendors Association Central Province (SLCVA-CP) held its first Annual General Meeting recently at the Hotel Earl's Regency. The president of the SLCVA-CP Mr. Gamini Aberykoon presided. The Association was formed to protect and develop computer vendoring in the region maintaining the highest business and ethical standards. The SLCVA is the parent body of the organization.

The President of the SLCVA, Colombo who gave the keynote speech stressed the importance of adhering to the ethical code that the Association has formulated for its members. He pointed out that it was essential to protect the integrity of the industry so that companies in the industry could survive and prosper. Mr. Rasool said that the Association worked closely with government agencies that were responsible for developing IT in Sri Lanka and for formulating and implementing regulatory policy. The Association also had a close working relationship with the World Bank that assisted the nation to develop IT in the country he said.

Mr Rasool noted that the SLCVA successfully lobbied to get import duty on IT products reduced and to lift the ban on the import of laser color printers and copiers.
The meeting of the Central Province Association attracted more than 120 companies although the organizers expected no more than 80. President of the Association Mr. Abeykoon announced that 31 companies have already joined the Association and more are expected to seek membership. He said that the Association would cover Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya.

The Association welcomes as members any company or business that is in the IT field. Those who want information should telephone one of the following: President Mr. Abeykoon at (081)2202830.

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One Way Traffic Scheme on Hold
Court asked for restraining order

The KMC decided to postpone the reintroduction of the one-way traffic scheme on Peradeniya Road and Gopallawa Mawatha from June 01, 2007 following a private citizen asking the court to issue a restraining order to the Council. Former MMC Mr. Ranjith Wijesinghe has filed the request. The order has not been issued at the time of this writing. However, the KMC decided that it would be prudent to wait for the court decision expected to be delivered on June 12th.
The one-way traffic scheme that was in force for a few weeks earlier this year helped ease the traffic congestion on Peradeniya Road and in the Kandy Market-Bogambara Stadium-Hospital approach roads and speeded up the journey between Kandy and Peradeniya. With the introduction of the scheme limits were imposed on street parking that boosted parking in the KMC multi-storey public car park.

However, the one-way scheme was abandoned after a few weeks following public protest. Some shopkeepers were unhappy because their business was adversely affected. Parents were worried about school children crossing the railway track to catch buses. Some motorists did not like the de tours that they had to make.

A few weeks ago a delegation from the KMC led by Mayor L B Aluvihare met President Mahinda Rajapakse to discuss the Kandy traffic problems and especially the management of the KMC car park. At that meeting a decision was taken to reintroduce the one-way scheme. This decision was later discussed at a meeting in Kandy that Mayor Aluvihare summoned. Representatives of various stakeholders including business, schools, area residents, ratepayers, officials and police attended this meeting. Several expressed the view that the one-way scheme should be reintroduced only after the problems that the traveling public faced when it was last put into effect were solved. The mayor agreed to take the necessary steps.

However, the KMC traffic committee that met on May 14th, 2007 decided to implement the one-way scheme pending improvements to the infrastructure to meet the demands of the public. These infrastructure developments include the construction of four overhead pedestrian bridges to cross the railway track between Kandy and Getembe and improvements to six connecting roads between Peradeniya Road and Gopallawa Mawatha. Some changes were also to be effected in the main bus stands. Besides the one way system, one of the most important immediate changes would have been significant restrictions on parking in the town and along Peradeniya Road and Gopallawa Mawatha. Such restrictions would have compelled motorists to use the KMC car park.

Mayor Aluvihare says that after the court announces its verdict on the restraing order that has been requested he would summon a special meeting of the KMC and take a final decision on the traffic scheme.

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KMC Asks Water Consumers to Read Own Meters

KMC that is facing a shortage of water meter readers is to ask the consumers to read their own meters and report. The Council recently decided to try the idea on an experimental basis with fifty subscribers. If the results are satisfactory it will be expanded.

KMC is the only local authority in Sri Lanka that has its own water scheme. Elsewhere the National Water Supply and Drainage Board supplies water.

KMC Water Engineer P B Abeykoon in a report he has submitted to the Council notes that every month about 100 new consumers join the scheme. Between 1995 and 2007 the number of subscribers in the KMC water scheme has risen by 67% from about 15,000 to over 25,000. During that period the number of meter readers has gone down from 25 to 21. Today each reader must daily cover an average of about 70 to 80 meters as against 50 or so ten years ago. Mr Abeykoon points out that the KMC has not taken any steps to improve the productivity of the meter readers by way of, say, providing a faster means of conveyance. He believes that the shortage of meter readers has also paved the way to more corruption. He claims that some readers continuously under-report consumption and take bribes from subscribers. They also take money from people who have illegal connections, he reports.

The KMC that is under a hiring freeze imposed by the central government has decided to train some of its security guards in water meter reading and deploy them to supplement the dwindling cadre of readers.