The pictures posted on Facebook show the real condition of a First Class railway carriage in Sri Lanka.
Posting a few pictures on his Facebook, a Visiting Lecturer at both the Colombo University and the Open University Sri Lanka, Chanuka Wattegama says; “This is a FIRST CLASS carriage in Sri Lanka Railways. I don’t know when it was built but the warning (A Fine of Rs. 20 for pulling the train) gives an indication. Unbelievable is that this comes from a country that heavily depends on tourism.”
Pictures below show a first class carriage of Meena Gaya Intercity Express train – Colombo to Batticaloa. Baticaloa is a major tourist destination in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority says; Pasikuda and Kalkuda are unspoilt beaches in the East coast of Sri Lanka, close to the town of Batticaloa. The white sands, clear blue water, and the stillness of the sea are both captivating and unparalleled by far.
Suffian / January 5, 2014
This pictures totally misleading our vip tourist arraivals except backpackers
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Oma yang / January 6, 2014
I recently happened to visit a leading boys school in Colombo and thereafter a trip to the Colombo University Faculty of Arts and the university College house as well. As diabetic I need to use the toilet quite frequently as I drink plenty of water. The toilets in all three locations were in a dilapidated and deplorable condition. The stench emanating from these toilets were certainly felt in the classroom. I wondered how students could concentrate with such putrid odour filling their nostrils or Have they become immune to it.
Moreover what really makes me angry is that we are good at comparing ourselves as being better than those living in TN. And the illogical logic of since we use dirty toilets we must be certainly better than those in TN who don’t have toilets and spoil their natural surroundings. I wish Sri Lankans seriously start bench marking themselves with countries like Singapore in the hygiene factor after all our rulers certainly want SL to become the next Singapore.
Hygiene is not an option but a must. This something that has to be inculcated early at home and at school only then will I become second nature to us in habit forming.
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BBS Rep / January 9, 2014
Oma Yang,
You answered your own question. Yes Sri Lankans are immune. We are immune to bad odour, immune to filthy toilets, immune to maggot infested bread, immune to stray dog excrement littered streets, immune to betel spit on walls and drains, immune to peeling and garish poster plastered public walls, immune to shit covered beaches, immune to stagnant putrid crude oil coloured canals and drains, immune to cow dung beset main streets and were even immune to dead bodies turning up everywhere.
I must admit though, where the dead bodies are concerned the authorities have done something. They make them simply disappear.
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JimSofty / January 6, 2014
Who ever did that Face book photo was a[Edited out] because she did not respect even the free education that she got from Sri Lanka.
It is like when came to Colombo, she was forgetting poor parents from the village.
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Jay / January 6, 2014
Oh yes, let s start killing the messenger that would be the best solution.
I need your brain to study further – our neuro researchers can learn more from you. Really worth to exchange with you :(
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Native Vedda / January 6, 2014
Jay
“I need your brain to study further – our neuro researchers can learn more from you.”
Are you looking for gods particle (Higgs Boson)inside his skull?
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Shabab / January 6, 2014
The article is about the conditions in a first-class train compartment and the toilet, but a lot of those commenting lunge off into ethnic slurs and politician bashing. I travel each week to Kandy from Colombo on the highly popular Intercity Express. The trains in use show their age, they are not particularly clean, and the toilets look just like those pictured in this article. When the train returns to Colombo at 3 p.m., the only “cleaning” of toilets I see is a guy with a bottle of disinfectant pouring a bit of it in the commodes. In general, I am not impressed by Sri Lankan toilets anywhere. If they get painted, the paint is just slopped on, and spider webs and dirt are almost never cleaned from the walls and the ceilings of many toilets in public spaces. With regards to school toilets: one of my granddaughters attends a government school in Pannipitiya. She suffers from intestinal problems because she refuses to use the dirty toilets at school–there is absolutely no excuse in a civilized country to neglect the toilets in a school or a railway station. The male toilets at Fort station are in a terrible state. This is shameful, to say the least.
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Sirimal / January 7, 2014
So then it is imperative that the respective authorities to pay attention immediately on the conditions of the public toilets in general. No excuses,they should give the priority to hygenic issues. If they allow night car races that cost billions, why cant the invest for the dire needs of the hoi poloi. But the question when reading about the comments on this and those added to other threads, I doubt the country belong to the “civilized country” catergory.
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Spring Koha / January 7, 2014
Sri Lanka: the land of permanent constipation.
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Eshantha / January 8, 2014
I totally have to agree with Navin that these need to be published and hope that the authorities do something about it, as I doubt they would ever take a train ride when they have to go anywhere. I myself took the first class sleeping births to Ella recently (December 2013), and these pictures tells exactly the story. It is pathetic and sad to see the state of these. People saying we’re a poor country ought to also think why you call it poor. It is actually a very rich country in terms of resources and in the nations hearts, it is the politicians who make it poor. Have you thought why we have many lamborghinis and other luxury cars in town and having races with them if it’s poor. Anyway, that’s another story to talk about. For now this is the truth. However, I have to say that the new power-sets and it’s 1st class compartments are good, just that the People (we) need to make sure we keep it clean and use them carefully. I did witness how some don’t even bother to keep their own seats clean or throw rubbish out of the window. I just hope people will learn and the authorities will care enough for the sake of the public and not just for their own.
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Railway investigator / January 8, 2014
Seeing the number of people commenting it looks as if toilet stories are a great hit with us.
I am curious long ago the matter from the Railway Carriage toilets dropped on to the tracks. Does it operate the same way now too? Imagine walking along the tracks
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Railway investigator / January 8, 2014
To be honest the Indian train service is very good compared to ours. We might as well upgrade. But if we choose to we could just claim the pictures are fake and do it our way on the floor if the seat is dirty.
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BBS Rep / January 9, 2014
Oh people,
We Sinhala Buddists need such toilets. So that we can sit quietly and do our ‘pilikul bawana’ without too much imagination.
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