Railway cannot protect all crossings without State aid
The authorities for their part said that the motorists must also share some part of the blame because snap decisions such as was the case in Batuwatte could lead to disastrous consequences.
It is learnt that a bell and a light operate at each end of the level crossing warning of approaching trains.
Wijeya Samarasinghe, Director Planning of Sri Lanka Railways told the Sunday Times that there have been many instances where motorists had even breached safety regulations by sneaking through the gap in the gate resulting in tragedies.
He however conceded that there are some 600 unprotected level crossings dotted throughout most parts of the country and if safety meas- ures are to be set up, the railway will require a huge sum of money that is currently not available.
He added that other regional bodies such as the local councils could also assist towards this end since they too collect public money some of which could be used for erecting gates and similar barriers.
“But at the moment this is not taking place and the entire responsibility is placed on the Railways Department which is cash- strapped and will need a bail out from the State coffers,” he said.
He concluded saying that an inquiry will be held into the Batuwatte tragedy and measures will be effected to prevent a similar incident.