If Kandy is our ‘second capital’, why do we have to come to Colombo to get things done?

Kandy, or “Mahanuwara”, or “Senkadagala Siriwardhana,” is the socalled second capital of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The name means “great city of Senkadagala, growing in resplendence.”

I was born in Kandy and have lived there all my life, for the past 23 years. If Kandy is the country’s second capital, I have never felt that way. Kandy has not lived up to its second-capital status. Kandy is backward, in the sense that its infrastructure is old, even ancient, and the available urban facilities are very limited.

All my life, to get any piece of official work done, whether it be private or government-related, I have had to come down to Colombo to get it done. I could never get it done in Kandy. This is indeed very inconvenient for us Kandy citizens. If Kandy is to be declared the country’s second capital, it should possess at least some major government offices, with all the facilities.

Kandy should have the one-day services you have in Colombo, in order to obtain a passport or education certificates, or other vital documents.

Kandy’s image as a “second capital” is

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demolished with a single visit to the bus stands or the vegetable market. These places have not been developed in the last 15 years. The presence of trishaw stands in and around the city has resulted in more traffic congestion in an already congested city.

A recent survey conducted by the Sri Lankan Tourist Board suggests that Kandy has “overtaken Colombo” by earning the title “Most Favourite Destination of Tourists.” Yes, it is the best city in Sri Lanka, but only because of its natural beauty. Tourists exclaim over the breathtaking views in the hill capital.

We applaud the idea of moving Kandy’s administrative work to Pallekele, leaving the heart of town less congested, and transforming the prison in the middle of the town into a urban multipurpose complex. We also appreciate the transformation of William Gopallawa Street into a four lane highway, and the construction of the Katugasthota Bridge. It is good to see road construction under way between Getambe, Katugasthota and Gohagoda.

I studied the massive Kandy development plan, but it looked more like an election gimmick. The brochure made no mention of launch dates.

Rome was not built in one day, and we don’t expect Kandy to develop overnight, but the fact is that an incalculable number of nights have passed and there has been no major development of Kandy.

Although I have focused on Kandy, I would like to see the entire country developed as a whole. I am Kandyan and I love Kandy very much, but my Motherland, Sri Lanka, comes first.

It is great to see the vast development of Colombo city. All credit goes to the Government and the Colombo Municipal Council. The state should simultaneously develop other parts of the country. Colombo, Kandy, Galle and other big towns should all be simultaneously developed. The overall development of the country would be a big boost to the nation’s morale.