Boralesgamuwa’s garbage collection gone to the dogs

We as public sector pensioners are thankful to the present Government for solving the pension anomaly we had lived with from 2006 to June 2015. Though the previous administration promised to solve the anomaly, it only paid lip service to our grievances.

However, there are unpaid arrears which we are entitled to. A Government that vows to uphold ‘justice’ should turn its attention on this matter. If it is burdensome to pay the arrears in one payment, we propose that provision should be made in the budgets of next three years to pay the arrears in instalments.

Newspapers reported in June last year that about 300,000 pensioners were bene- fitted by the Government’s move. Since then, many pensioners have died and the numbers have reduced, while a good number of them are on the deathbed.

Thus it is all but fair and reasonable for a Government committed to upholding justice to consider their request on humanitarian grounds.

We earnestly appeal to the President, the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister, the Public Administration Minister and the Director of Pensions to consider our request and to grant us the relief we are seeking. On behalf of suffering pensioners Ariyapala Ganegoda

During the past, the collection of garbage in and around Boralesgamuwa was done in a systematic manner. Especially, the highly populated Embillawatte Road and Karuwawela Mawatha had a regular collection day.

However, of late, in the past year or so the collection has been haphazard and not been done on the due day. Recently, we were told to separate the garbage -- food refuse into one bucket and other refuse such as paper, plastic bags and tins into another. The food refuse were to be collected on Tuesdays and other garbage on Saturdays.

Many people were happy with this method because the food refuse was to be used for some purpose. However, the delays in collection have caused much inconvenience to the residents, not to mention the stink, with flies and maggots.

The situation has gone from bad to worse as the garbage is not collected for weeks by the urban council. Residents leave their garbage bags and bins by the road for easy collection. Since they do not come on the specified date, dogs tear open the bags and roads are scattered with garbage causing a stink and making the area unhealthy. People have to find their way through strewn garbage on the road.

This is indeed an unacceptable situation. Numerous appeals to the urban council have fallen on deaf ears. The collection of non-food refuse garbage has virtually come to a halt. Most of the time, residents bribe the collectors to take away this garbage as they never come on Saturdays. There seems to be no one taking responsibility for this lapse and we do not know whom to complain to. We are regular taxpayers, but for the past six months, the situation has deteriorated to an alarming extent. G. Livera Boralesgamuwa

APPRECIATIONS