LankaBuzz

Muhudu Maha Viharaya

A recent photo taken shows how Muslim squatters have now managed to errect a barbed wire fencing on one side about 400 yards from Muhudu Maha Viharaya at Pottuvil. They now occupy more than twenty five acres of strict archaeological reserve area and had been building permanent houses. Under such circumstances it is not possible to excavate this area to find out the extent of Muhudu Maha Viharaya or its 2000 year old remains and to redevelop this ancient Buddhist site belonging to Sinhale for future generations.

All successive governments that came to power with Sinhala votes so far have not taken any action to evict these encroachers. Sinhala politicians have chosen not to speak against these hostile minorities even when our archaeological sites are threatened or destroyed by them, but to be slavishly dependent on their votes. It is a non- existent problem to Sinhala politicians.

C. Siri Anandagoda

This I think is an excellent project, but as one person asked me once, the company who has been awarded the deal, are they one of those musroom start ups or are they a well established and capable company ?

I was checking the following site http://drc.gov.lk/ but I couldn’t find the company.

“The software and hardware developer for this project is ACAI System (Pvt) Ltd.”

Who is this company ? Are they a new company ? I couldn’t find anything on them ?

I hope they won it fairly and are capable of actually doing the project and not there only for the money.

If that’s the case, this is a project that is in vain.

Like one of the previous letters, they mention about these new companies taking all the big deals and giving a rubbish solution, will this be one or ? I was told it may be Access, in that case then it will be good.

But if not, who is it ? A few million on each station, that a very good deal indeed.

CPC to fully automate filling stations

by Hiran H. Senewiratne

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will set up fully automated filling stations in the country to provide service to its customers on par with international standards, its Deputy General Manager Planning and Development Ranjith Wickramasinghe said.

These stations will be self serviced and fully automated. Its first model station will be opened at Tissamaharamaya very soon. All CPC stations and CPC dealer owned stations will be up graded to that level soon.

At present the CPC has 100 stations and 323 dealer owned stations in the country.

Under this automated system these self serviced stations will provide various facilities for customers including receipt, self service pumping and use of credit cards when purchasing. All details such as stocks levels and number of issued stocks in every station will be linked up to the main service in Colombo, he said.

Wickramasinghe said that the CPC is willing to provide interest free loans for all its dealer owned service stations to upgrade to that level.

He said that around five dealers have expressed their interest to automate their filling stations this year.

The CPC intends to provide interest free loans of Rs. one million for a station to promote this concept, he said. The software and hardware developer for this project is ACAI System (Pvt) Ltd.

The CPC is now in the process of refurbishing their filling stations at a cost of Rs. 600 million. The CPC owned 100 stations have already started its refurbishing activities. Out of hundred 31 filling stations are completed/construction going on and 29 stations are in the tendering stage and the balance 40 are in the planning stage. Each station will cost Rs. 6 to Rs. 12 million.

However, the CPC is providing interest free loans for dealers to refurbish filling stations starting from Rs. one million to three million, he said.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/08/02/bus02.htm

In a country where there is no value for human life, it is heartening to note that much importance is given for animal protection and animal welfare. But very unfortunate that most animal welfare organisations while concentrating on stray dogs and cats and their well-being have failed to show any interest over the indiscriminate slaughtering of cows and calves.

The slaughter Act, which is outdated and has not been revised. A committee nominated by the Ministry to revise the Act is yet to do so, even after two years. In 1978, the then Minister for Livestock Soumiyamoorthy Thondaman, keeping in mind of the development of the dairy industry brought a Cabinet paper to ban the slaughter of cows and buffaloes.

This ban on cows and buffaloes existed up to year 2002. Justificaton was done to develop the dairy industry during this period. In 2002 the Department of Animal Production and Health, issued a circular No: P/5/1/4/22.4.2002 revoking the previous circular banning the slaughter on cows and buffaloes. Most public are unaware why the ban on slaughtering cows and buffaloes was revoked. Today pregnant animals, calves and buffaloes are slaughtered indiscriminately.

There is no law to prevent pregnant cows, milking cows and calves being slaughtered. The Department of Animal Production and Health and the Ministry of Livestock Development are still silent over this circular.

It has also been a practice in our country, for the Buddhist clergy to save animals only during Poya Days and release them with much publicity and not otherwise.

During the last Poson Poya, the Speaker of the House W. J. M. Lokubandara released a book in the presence of the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse “epa epa mas kannata kri ammage”. While his intentions are good, how can the public be educated to stop eating meat, when hundreds of animals are slaughtered daily and served in every nook and corner of the country.

It is very much regrettable that even the health specialists who write to the media on food habits have failed to emphasize on the dangers of eating beef. There is much hypocrisy when it comes to animal slaughter and dairy development.

Could the Speaker of the House or the Prime Minister or the new Minister for Livestock, C. B. Ratnayaka put an end to this indiscriminate slaughtering of milking cows, pregnant cows and calves?

DR. A. NANDAKUMARA, Hatton
http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/08/04/Letters.htm#3p