Moratuwa Station in dire need of maintenance
Moratuwa Railway Station, which is one of the main railway stations on the costal railway line, has been in a deteriorated state for several years due to neglect and misuse of railway property.
A senior official of the Railway Department said the Beliatta railway station on the proposed southern railway line will be designed after Moratuwa railway station. However, the commuters and the staff of the railway station are facing hardships for want of minimum facilities. The commuters pointed out that the toilets, which are in a dilapidated state with overflowing squatting pans due to neglect of maintenance for more than twenty years, are no longer used.
The overhead bridge covered with posters is an eyesore, but the pasting of posters on the over head bridge and the walls outside are going on unchecked. A senior official of the railway station said, “An area extending to a distance of 55ft. from the rear wall belongs to the railway station. However, it is used as a parking area for private busses causing obstruction to the railway commuters and the CGR vehicles that load and unload goods.
The space belonging to the railway station has reduced to about 5ft. The drivers and the conductors of private buses ease themselves alongside the rear wall of the railway station for want of toilet facilities at the bus stand, much to the annoyance of the railway commuters and the officials of the railway station as well.”
A senior clerk of a government department Gerald Senaratne, of Kaldemulla who travels to Colombo daily by train said: “The authorities are not concerned about the hardships of the commuters. Moratuwa is an urban area with a thick population and several thousands of commuters take train daily from the Moratuwa railway station. About three decades ago Moratuwa railway station earned the highest income from goods traffic.
However the authorities failed to maintain the railway station for several decades and today its buildings are in a dilapidated state. The worst affected being the toilets. The unauthorized use of toilets in the railway station by the crews of private busses resulted in this state. The noise from the private bus stand causes severe inconvenience to the railway commuters.
The announcements of the railway station are often subdued by the noise of the private bus operators who shout at the top of their voice to squeeze in one more passenger. About 150 private buses and 60 CTB busses are parked on the land belonging to the railway station which causes a nuisance.”
An official of the Moratuwa Municipal Council who travels to Moratuwa from Galle said, “A 22ft. wide strip of land on either side of the railway line comes within the boundary of the railway line. However, hundreds of the unauthorized constructions stand cheek by jowl with the railway line and their roofs are within a finger’s breadth from the railway compartments. Recently a naval officer fell off a crowded train when he hit against the edge of a roof, and died instantly. The Railway Department has not yet taken any steps to remove the unauthorized erections endangering the lives of the passengers.”
He pointed out several unauthorized erections near the level crossing with roofs jutting out into the track.
The Inspector of railway lines said, “I have already informed the Railway Protection Force about the unauthorized erections. After the recent accident several unauthorized structures within a limit of 10 feet on the landside of the railway line were removed. However those on the seaside are yet to be removed.”
A senior official of the Building Inspector’s office said, “Maintenance of the buildings have been held up for want of funds. Allocations for working overtime have been reduced to a large percentage. Cleaning of toilets regularly is not possible due to the shortage of staff. The department has only one labourer to clean the cesspits of railway stations from Fort to Matara.”
By Kusal Chamath
Source: Daily Mirror
Tags: commuters, dilapidated condition, government department, hardships, overhead bridge, private buses, railway department, railway line, railway station, southern railway, toilet facilities, toilets
