Silver lining

One good thing that came out of the collapse of the Golden Key Credit Card Company, is the exposure of hundreds of professionals like accountants, lawyers and doctors who have been keeping their actual wealth secret from the tax department while continuing to earn massive interests by depositing their black money in such unregistered finance companies. Now finally the Inland Revenue has a chance to honestly bring these individuals within the tax net without fear or favour. We certainly hope it will finally do its job properly, instead of religiously harassing those who have been dutifully paying their income tax voluntarily. Among the depositors it is said is a casino mogul with one hundred million in deposits.

 Comrades short on delivery

Our local cardboard Che Guevaras are very good at threatening to launch massive strikes. But when it comes to the actual thing they certainly are far short on delivery. We all know what happened to the general strike called by handsome Comrade Lalkantha not too long ago, and how he kept his promise in the event of failing to make it a success. Because of them even we get egg on our faces. Just last Saturday, the comrades threatened to launch a crippling train strike from Monday, and dutifully we reported it. But when the day dawned they couldn’t even stop a single train.

 126 Unions in cgr for 55 engines

Talking of union power, the Sri Lankan Railways have as many as 126 unions, yet it only operates about 55 engines on any given day, though the requirement is for 65. Even out of the engines that are being operated, more than a dozen are very old having been acquired in the post Second World War years from General Motors, Canada.

 One honourable minister

Our Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma’s mug shot is often carried in certain rags under bad headlines as if he is from the rogues gallery. But believe it or not, he is one honourable politician. Unlike most politicos who normally stuff the institutions coming under them with their constituents as if they are job banks, he is one Minister who has yet to recruit even a single labourer from his electorate to any of the institutions coming under his purview, like the CGR and SLTB.

 Are you suffocating?

Do you often feel as if you are suffocating when stuck in chaotic traffic in Colombo? If you do we won’t blame you, for some 175,000 cars enter the city on average on any working day, on 12 roads carrying only about 20% of the 830,000 commuters who daily descend on the metropolis. The lion’s share of 65% however is hauled by some 11,000 buses, and the balance 15% is carried by trains on three lines connected to the city.

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