Sri Lanka It's Happening

July 24, 2008

When the JVP called a general strike a couple of weeks ago, things didn't work out as they planned. One of their major goals was to cripple the transport network. That way even if workers in orther industries wanted to turn up for work they wouldn't be able to do so. Unfortunatley for the JVP, people did want to turn up for work and they found that buses as trains were running as usual. (Interestingly the chief organizer promised to resign if the strike failed but hasn't done so yet.)

Just in case the JVP hasn't learned their lessons, the government is now trying to show them how it should be done. They have announced a general strike for the period 26th July to 03rd August.

The key is to cripple that Transport service. To the government will close the fort railway station. Trains operating to the north and east of Colombo will be diverted to Maradana station instead. Trains operating along the south coast will stop at Bambalapitity. That means the stations at Kollupitiya and Slave Island will also be closed.

If you want to enter Fort, Kollupitiya, Cinamon Gardens and parts of Slave Island or Borella you need a special pass and yu have to subject yourself to a body search. Even then vehical passes will not be issued - you have to take a bus. Those buses will be heavily overcrowded with train services being distrupted.

To add to the mayhem half the roads in the city will be closed. So buses will have to take different routes. It's not clear whether people living in the closed off streets will be allowed to leave their homes. If not they will have to suffer a week of house arrest. The government has not yet said whether offices and shops in those streets will be allowed to open their doors.

There is a slim possibility that all these measure may not have the desired effect. So for good measure the government has decided to close the Negombo road for half hourly periods sparodically. That's right, every once in a while they will close the Negombo road for half an hour.

Access to a large number of warehouses, container terminals and factories you need to go through the Negombo road. Let's not forget that the Airport at Katunayake is also on this road. Let's not forget the Katunayake export processing zone or the Puttalam cement factory which sends hundreds of lorry loads of cement to Colombo down this road.

The flyover at Kelaniya is still under construction, therefor much of that traffic on the Kandy road has also been diverted to the Negmobo road. Those cars will now have to fly.

Posted by raditha at July 24, 2008 4:21 AM