BAMBA STATION SHANTY AN EYESORE

A row of shanty houses along the protective wall of the Bambalapitiya Railway Station has become an eyesore in the town.

The general public said that more than 100 such houses were erected attached to the parapet wall and the storm water screen of the station as the main wall had not drawn the attention of the relevant authorities, including Railways officials or town planners.

“The loathsome sight of sanities alongside the parapet wall of the Station is an eyesore and marred the image of the Colombo city,” an employee at a private establishment in the vicinity Sri Lal Kanaherarchchi (40) said.

The shanties erected with perishable material are susceptible to many dangers including fire and other natural disasters. The houses were hit by the 2004 Tsunami but were re-erected while the authorities ignored it. Some alleged that the unauthorised erections were the safe haven for gangs engaging in nefarious activities.

“The contraband trades of drug peddling and prostitution are going on unchecked in the shanties.

Prostitutes frequenting the railway platform and along the beach at dusk are at liberty to carry on their trade. Even young men waiting for trains fall a prey to them,” one said.

The loathsome sight of sanities alongside the parapet wall of the Station is an eyesore and marred the image of the Colombo city

A tour guide from Bentota, Prasad Wakwella (30) said foreign tourists travelling by train wondered how people could live in shanties located in a narrow strip of land by the beach. He said such unauthorised construction along the beach brings disrepute to the country and should not be allowed.

He said that it should have drawn the attention of the Urban Development Authority.

A senior official of the Railways Department said they were planning to remove the shanties along the Southern Coastal Line in several locations under the Railways Department’s ongoing development programme.