Tissa de Silva has very cogently expressed the sorry plight of the majority, who sans any vehicles (not even a push cycle) walks daily on their routine engagements but are not cared and not the concern of those in authority. (Island, 9.9.04)

To speak on the same location; just opposite the Bo-tree at Nugegoda junction, the shop that sells watches has its display cabinet stretched on to the pavement and therefore the gap between the railings and the display cabinet is hardly adequate for two persons to cross and the embarrassment is mostly to school girls.

The front wheels of three-wheelers are often projected to the pavement obstructing to pedestrians and on rainy days to avoid the pools of water in front of the three-wheelers, one has to walk on the road. The traffic policemen are seen having friendly chats unconcerned of the ruses adopted by the three-wheelers.

At the Kohuwala junction; at the entrance to the public market, along the Kohuwala-Pepiliyana-Boralesgamuwa road, a street vendor has placed permanently a cart-on-wheels and some items are displayed on the pavement. The beggars occupy the narrow pavement and when one bends to select items, the pedestrians have to use the road at the risk of buses that pass the place very close to the pavement to pick passengers. For the pedestrians crossing the road the pavement hawker is an obstruction. During peak periods there are several policemen helping and directing traffic.

Towards Pepiliyana on the right side there are a number of schools for kids and without a pavement the kids with a parent walk on the left side at the risk of being run over by a vehicle.

Just passing the Buddhist temple second gate, the road is very narrow the earth partly washed away due to gush of rain water and pedestrians, even small children are compelled to walk on the tarred road at the risk of being knocked down by a vehicle. A pavement, even a narrow one is long overdue.

The area with the fence of the orphanage gets inundated with rain water and the pedestrians have to walk over rain water to avoid being knocked down by a vehicle, or to avoid being soaked with rain water flashed by fast moving vehicles driven over rain water.

On the side of the iron works establishment the house water is released to the road and eternally the road is wet.

The establishment that sell second hand heavy equipment, opposite Ranasinghe Place has taken two feet of the road to place concrete slabs at the entrance and recently girls working in the nearby factories have to walk on the tarred road.

The road is a public highway, falling under the purview of the Prime Minister, one cannot expect the Prime Minister to observe this misdemeanours, but public officers should but yet, today they travel in official cars with tinted glass and reading papers and files. The writer while travelling in car has made these observations along Kohuwela-Boralesgamuwa road.

Writer agrees with Tissa de Silva the ‘Sandanaya’ should now decide and the problems are:

i. A pavement, not very wide on the side of the temple and children’s schools from Kohuwela to Pepiliyana or beyond.

ii. Drains to prevent water inundation and solid erosion draining the water to nearby water courses.

iii. In addition to the pavement an iron railing near the temple hill climb.