Permission to extend railway line irks employees
The undisclosed plan to extend the 22km railway line given to Holcim Cement in 1997 by a further 5km stretch has irked railway employees, the All Ceylon Railway Employees General Union (ACREU) said.
According to ACREU sources, Transport Minister Dulles Alahapperuma’s secret plan to extend the 22km Noornagar-Aruwakkal railway line by a further 5km stretch from Puttalam has irked the train passengers who travel to Noornagar, as it would deprive them of traveling beyond Puttalam by train once the railway track is given to Holcim.
“Prior to 1997 it was the Sri Lanka Railway (SLR) that transported the raw materials to the Holcim Cement Corporation and earned Rs.6.4 million monthly from Holcim. But the Chandrika Kumaratunga administration in 1997 leased out the 22km Noornagar-Aruwakkal railway line to Holcim for a mere Rs. 5 million per year,” General Secretary, ACREU, Sumathipala Manawadu told The Morning Leader.
According to Manawadu, with the dubious lease out, not only did SLR lose over Rs.67 million annually but it also deprived the passengers from traveling up to Aruwakkal by train.
“Although we then raised our concern over the lease, the then government said it was given to Holcim in order to promote other private sector entities to use the train service to transport their raw materials which will enhance the country’s railway service gradually. But what happened was the railway service did not improve but it started to worsen,” claimed Manawadu.
“What was the reason for Minister Alahapperuma to give the railway line beyond Puttalam to Holcim without any additional charge? Even though a payment is done the SLR is still losing millions of rupees. This railway track was to be handed over to Holcim on November 15 but because of the strong agitation by train passengers and railway employees the handing over was temporarily halted,” added Manawadu.
However, General Manager SLR, Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan denied the charges and told The Morning Leader that it was all a fabricated story of the trade unions to bring disrepute to the government.
“There is no plan to give railway tracks to private companies under the present regime,” Dr. Gunaruwan said.
By Nirmala Kannangara
Source: The Morning Leader
