Developing religious sites

Thousands of pilgrims converged on the Sacred Mihintale area yesterday to participate in religious observances on Poson Poya Day. Mihintale is one of the most venerated historic sites in the island.

Although Mihintale sees the biggest crowds in June, pilgrims flock to it throughout the year. It is the cradle of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist civilisation after all.

The Government thus deserves plaudits for deciding to initiate a Mihintale Preservation Fund which will preserve this historic site for posterity. The idea is to develop and preserve this 450 acre sacred area as a World Heritage Site which will attract international attention as well.

This will be a boon to Mihintale, which comes to the fore every Poson Poya Day. ANCL has been illuminating Mihintale at every Poson for the past 46 years, in collaboration with the CEB. Other organisations engage in similar meritorious activities in and around Mihintale.

This latest move to uplift Mihintale fits in well with an overall plan to improve prominent and not-so-well known sacred sites belonging to all religions. Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is rendering a yeoman service in this regard and has drawn up many plans.

For example, he plans to improve the railing and stairs system at Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) venerated by people from all religious groups. This will benefit thousands of pilgrims who undertake the arduous climb to the top during the May-December Sri Pada season.

Just like Mihintale, Sri Pada is a symbol of our civilisation based on strong religious values and the Government must be commended for taking steps to improve access to its sacred summit.

The Government is also restoring ancient Stupas in Anuradhapura and elsewhere. The Cultural Triangle project has been rejuvenated.

The Government should turn its attention to places of worship affected by the conflict in the East, which was completely liberated from the terrorists last year. The Northern liberation we hope will see a similar effort in that province.

It is also important to promote pilgrim tourism locally and internationally.

More local pilgrims will tour historic sites if more affordable accommodation facilities are available. These sites should be promoted especially in Buddhist countries. The easing of visa restrictions, the lowering of entry fees and tailor-made accommodation facilities will entice them to tour Lanka’s religious and historic sites which have captivated travellers through the centuries.

Road discipline

Lawlessness has become a massive problem on our congested roads. Not a day goes by without the media reporting several horrendous accidents that invariably lead to the loss of lives. Most of these cases involve recklessly driven private buses.

The ‘race’ for money on public roads results in the tragic loss of lives most of the time. Both the Police and the judiciary must take tough decisions regarding these death dealers on wheels.

A recent news item has given us hope that the wheels are literally moving in this direction. Panadura Provincial High Court Judge Malanee Gunaratne delivered a historic judgment when she imposed a sentence of 62 years’ Rigorous Imprisonment and a Rs. 90,000 fine on a private coach driver who pleaded guilty to 26 indictments including causing the death of 10 passengers and critical injuries to 16 passengers following a bus accident on Galle Road, Panadura on August 17, 2002.

The Judge also ordered Dehiwala Liyanage Amarasiri of Elpitiya to pay a total sum of Rs. 1.1 million as compensation to the kith and kin of the 10 dead passengers and the injured.

This is indeed a landmark judgment that should serve as a deterrent for all motorists, not just private bus drivers. There has been a drop in road rules violations and accidents since motoring fines were increased drastically a couple of years ago. The latest judgment will serve as a stern warning to all road users that the laws are indeed tough when it comes to ensuring discipline on the roads.

The accident in question is a classic case of recklessness, negligence and lack of respect for human life.

According to eyewitnesses, Amarasiri drove the private coach at high speed and lost control when he was overtaking a lorry and collided with a private coach. The result was that 10 families lost a loved one. Several others are maimed for life. All because the bus crew wanted to add a few more rupees to the day’s collection.

As the Judge said private coach drivers had became a death threat to passengers and pedestrians. “Therefore they should be punished when they are found guilty of traffic offences.”

We endorse her timely words wholeheartedly. The rule of law should not be lenient towards those who cause death and destruction on the roads. Lives, not money, should come first.