By Siri Gamage –

Dr. Siri Gamage

Kandy is a highly populated city now compared to 5 or 6 years ago. Roads leading to the city are jammed with a plethora of vehicles. Cars, three wheelers, lorries, Buses(govt and private), vans, trucks. During peak hours they are slow moving and often get stuck in a line with traffic blockage. One reason is that there is only one lane in each direction. In the middle there is a while line that vehicles cannot physically overtake due to oncoming traffic. On the side, cars, bikes and three wheelers are parked(There are many of these also on either side of road). Long distance buses also come to the city centre. It seems that there is no proper plan to control and manage traffic in Kandy and suburbs?

This is while Colombo gets most of the investments in roads infrastructure? By passes or over passes, highways etc are being built there. None of that has come to Kandy? Bus stand is also located in the middle of the city.

Someone said to me that the city has expanded in all directions now.

Q. Has the city council got any plans to do something about this? Has the government got any plans to address this issue?

I remember some years ago, there was talk about a plan developed with Japanese assistance for the management of traffic in Kandy. Is the new government aware of this? Is it following up on the previous work conducted? or has the government got another plan to make a change in the dire situation that people face today?

People are going through nearly hell at the moment when they try to go shopping, attend hospital, see a doctor privately, or attend to many other needs.

It is no good talking about System change without attending to such a major issue in the hill country as a high priority. When the Dalada exhibition starts, it can make the current situation worse by thousand times. Visitors will be undeer enormous pressure while coping with the heat!

Many tourists are coming to Kandy as it is a place of significance due to the presence of Dalada maligawa and the lake along with other amenities e.g. Kandy city centre, railway station to take trains to the scenic places in hill stations.

Visiting Kandy after 6 years (last I visited it in 2018) I do not see an improvement of the infrastructure or the management of traffic situation. It is a wild world there. Those who work in Kandy and suburbs including the University have to either use private vehicles (only the well to do can afford this) or use public transport – basically buses or trains. During peak hours they are jam packed to the full. As many number travel standing as those seated. Tourists and visiting diaspora members or others from elsewhere are not safe from theft in such a congested place or in public transport. Children going to school are not safe either.

As an interim measure, city council and the new government need to consider making roads one way in each direction again and once implemented not succumb to pressure from the business establishments to reverse ther decision.

Long distance buses, some arrangement needs to be made to stop at places like Peradeniya, Katugastota or divert them along the alternate routes by poassing Kandy. Or Between Kandy and Peradeniya for example an overpass can be built in the middle of the existing road so that vehicles coming from Gampola or Colombo can use it to reach Kandy.

City planners in the Kandy Council, Provincial Council and the central government need to swing into action about this situation as quickly as possible to relive the suffering people.

Another concerning aspect I notice is the presence of many shop fronts or outlets promoting so-called international education along with English education Institutes charging enormous fees along the Kandy-Peradeniya road. I am sure similar outlets are present along the Kandy Katugastota road also. These outlets remind me of communication centres that we could see some years ago when the mobile phones were not widely available. Are such outlets or centres draining our much needed foreign currency reserves? It is important to investigate.