An Electric Rail Track System Linking Jaffna To Colombo
By Nagananda Kodituwakku -October 22, 2013 |
Nagananda Kodituwakku
Invitation for a challenging mission to Chief Minister Wigneswaran: Install an electric rail track system linking Jaffna to Colombo
Just after the end of the civil war that cost the nation immensely, this same open invitation was originally extended to the President Rajapaksa in 2009 to set up a fast electric rail track linking Jaffna to Colombo, which sadly saw no light of the day.
It is very unfortunate that the Colombo government had no vision to tap the wealth of resources (foreign funding that was waiting to be awarded to the battered nation) that were at its disposal just after the war, to make this challenging proposal a reality. Instead the government has been simply working over-time to re-build the 18th century rail tract at a great cost, which takes the nation nowhere, as it would hopelessly fall short of what the people of this Island nation yearning for. The need of the hour is a fast rail track, possibly a double track, to run between Colombo to Jaffna in 1 ½ to 2 hours and not a tract that takes half a day to complete the journey.
In this backdrop, the same proposal is now being made to a different personality, this time to one of the remarkable sons of Mother Lanka, the Justice turned politician Wigneswaran. He is a proven character with integrity, miles ahead of his contemporaries in both North and South. There is no doubt that he is a competent man with a vision and potential to make this dream a reality for the benefit of the whole nation.
Probably this may not be the only step in the right direction to heal the mistrust between distanced two ethnic groups but it could certainly open up the eyes of all Lankans to identify the true national leaders on whom they can place trust, shunning aside the petty, irrelevant racist mindset, that has hitherto helped only to destroy the nation.
JHU to vote against Rajapaksa legislation
- Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Ally of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has said it would vote against the piece of legislation being presented in parliament this week to grant massive tax concessions to Australian James Packer’s casino in Colombo.
The government has granted tax concessions to a US$ 350 million development project of Australian gaming tycoon James Packer.
The large scale mixed development project is to set up a star class resort and a casino.
The project has been granted a 10-year exemption from income tax in addition to a further concessionary 6 percent tax rate for 12 years among other tax concessions.
The JHU has said that the government’s move to legalize gaming would be detrimental to the country.
