New railway station comes up in Omanthai
The first Sri Lankan state of the art railway station that is to meet international standards in providing facilities to disabled persons will commence construction in Omanthai on July 28.
Deputy Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare, Lionel Premasiri told Daily Mirror that the railway station was going to be like no other. “The project is aimed at meeting the requirements of everybody, including the disabled.”
The railway station will have all necessary facilities for disabled persons. “We are to use a special type of tile for the floor, which will be convenient for blind persons. There will be monitors set up for deaf and blind people while toilets will also come up for those using wheelchairs.” The Deputy Minister further said plans were underway to construct the platform to the same as the train. “At present, there is a level difference of 1 foot and 8 inches. We want to change this in order to provide more accessible transportation facilities,” he said.
The project, which is said to cost Rs. 26 million, is being carried out in collaboration with the Urban Development Authority, the Railways Department and the Lionel Premasiri Foundation. A number of NGOs and private companies will fund the development project. Deputy Minister Premasiri said that he hoped to see its completion in three months time.
The proposed Omanthai railway station is situated two stations beyond Vavuniya. The Deputy Minister said that it was the ideal time to commence such a project now that the war had ceased after a 30-year period. “This is going to be a first for Sri Lanka. We are very proud of this project. Our theme is to rejoin the two ethnic groups and the two cultures.”
By Olindhi Jayasundere
Source: Dailymirror
