Railway carriages rotting away due to lack of locomotives
The lack of commitment to improve the country’s railway system has been the bane of the Sri Lanka Railway Department, the All Ceylon Railway Employees General Union (ACREGU) alleged.
Chairman, ACREGU, S.P. Vithanage said that due to the lack of hydraulic and power set engines many railway carriages are idling in the railway yards rotting away.
According to Vithanage, during the past three months, 11 hydraulic railway engines have been discarded even though the unions claim that they could be repaired and put to use.
“Although the Railway Department claims that they do not have enough engines to provide a better railway service, the officials do not want to get the engines repaired. The Railway Department for the past 14 months has failed to pay Diesel and Motor Company (DIMO) a sum of Rs.455, 332 to get one of the S9 power set engine blocks repaired,” Vithanage told The Morning Leader.
He said the S9 power set engine has been sent for repairs to DIMO on October 15, 2007, but although an estimate has been sent to the Railway Department the officers concerned have so far not taken any steps to get the engine repaired.
“Who is responsible for these failures? We have been urging the authorities concerned to get the engines repaired as the hydraulic and power set engines experience breakdowns regularly due to the failure in providing the necessary repairs at the proper time,” added Vithanage.
“The delay in many trains is due to lack of railway engines in the country, but it is disgusting to note that the railway officials have failed to get the maximum use of these engines that are now idling without being repaired. These are all public funds and the people are not ready to waste their hard earned money unnecessarily. It’s up to Railway Minister Dulles Alahapperuma and the other officials to look into the matter and get all these engines repaired at the earliest to provide a satisfactory railway service to the commuters,” Vithanage said.
Sri Lanka Railways General Manager Lalithasiri Gunaruwan was not available for comment.
By Nirmala Kannangara
Source: The Morning Leader
Tags: breakdowns, locomotives, necessary repairs, railway carriages, railway employees, railway engines, railway service, railway yards
