CAUGHT BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE SEA

Shanty dwellers in the narrow strip of land in between the railway line and the beach from Dehiwala to Moratuwa, said they were in a predicament due to the torrential rains and the rough seas experienced at present.

They pointed out that strong waves were lashing at their doorsteps while stormwater was seeping through the roofs.

People living in thousands in these shanties along the railway said that the houses built of perishable material could not stand the lashing waves and the heavy downpours.

Several said that the insides of the houses had turned into muddy pools.

They said hundreds of shacks had been destroyed during the rough seas rendering the dwellers homeless for the last three years.

“Our main concern is the hardship facing us for want of housing. We have been compelled to live in shanties for want of land in other areas. We are prepared to leave if the Government provided us land and housing aid,” one resident said.

“It is a misconception that the shanty dwellers would return to the shanties even if they were provided housing,” several said.

They said they were not willing to live in shanties exposing their children to the dangers from the trains and the sea,” one said.

“It is sad that we have been destined to live in shanties exposed to the danger of gale force winds and rough seas. However, the prominent politicians who boast about massive development projects have ignored the shanty dwellers by the railway line,” Wimalsiri Suriyagoda (50) said.

Meanwhile, railway officials said hundreds of roofing sheets that had edges with a clearance of less than a foot from the train, were death traps.

They pointed out that some of the dwellers used the stormwater screen of the coastal line stations, including the Bambalapitiya Station-as the main wall of the shanties but the authorities turned a deaf ear to the continual representations in this regard.

The public said they made continual requests to the Railways Department to remove the shanties along the railway line but to no avail.

They said the officials only accused the politicians of interfering with any action taken to remove the shanties in the railway reservation. Residents said shanties along the railway created an eyesore and that the Ministry of Mega Polis and Western Development. should look into it.