• Bus fare hike unjustifiable

• 'Don't touch the clock'

Bus fare hike unjustifiable

Once again Private Bus Operators' Assn. is at the old game.

Its President is flexing his muscles to disrupt public life through a strike by the bus employees.

Private bus owners and their employees deserve no sympathy at all when you consider the following: Non issue of tickets, avoiding giving the correct balance, overcrowding of buses, rudeness of conductors and also drivers, ignoring traffic lights, picking up passengers in between halts, parking at main halts until the bus is almost full, not running to set time-tables, stoppage of services after 8.30-9 p.m., some conductors and drivers are drunk and are also drug addicts, some are unlicensed and unfit to drive buses, the majority of drivers are 'speed fiends' etc. etc. So with such a litany of sins will any right-thinking commuter ever agree to a fare hike? Never!

The Government should stand firm and not give in to the unreasonable demands of the private bus mafia.

VERNIE -
Dehiwala

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'Don't touch the clock'

I refer to letters of Vidya Jyothi Sir Arthur C. Clarke DN of 16.03.06, V. K. B. Ramanayake and W. Ainsley DN of 22.03.06 under above caption.

This time adjustment was made a decade ago since we were facing a severe fuel crisis in order to reduce our oil bill. It was a political decision by the then Government in power amidst objections from various sections of the society mainly from parents of school going small kids as referred to by W. Ainsley in his letter under reference.

I fully endorse parents at that time vehemently protested against adjustment of our time to save on fuel.

Even some of our doctors (child specialists) objected saying small children need more sleeping hours for their good health and growth.

But in spite of all those objections the Government in power took a decision to adjust the clock to cut down on their fuel bill. Government offices and all other establishments had to fall in line to start early and to close early. Public transport too adjusted accordingly. It was merely a political decision ignoring even the doctors' advice.

No harm advancing the time by half an hour, had they adjusted the school time as well like in India as mentioned in Vidya Jysothi Sir Arthur C. Clarke in his letter of 16.03.06 to help school going children and young girls leaving home for work in the semi-dark.

Therefore we should re-adjust our time considering small school children or else adjust school starting time as pointed out by Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

D. E. ABEYWEERA -
 Kelaniya