Slum Dwellers Fear Destruction of Houses by JAYANTHA DE SILVA Basic Amenities and Continue to Stressed
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4 Friday 10th June, 2011 The Island Home News Slum dwellers fear destruction of houses BY JAYANTHA DE SILVA basic amenities and continue to stressed. Over one million slum dwellers in live in squalor in unhygienic envi- Despite theses drawbacks, the Colombo live in mortal fear of their rons. Defence Secretary had utilized dwellings being demolished on the orders He attributed the drawbacks to USD 20 million received from the of Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the dissolution of the CMC in 2006 World Bank for the Development under a progrmme to turn Colombo into by the Governor of the Western of Colombo North. he said. both, a garden city and a commercial hub, Province following a probe by a Under that programme, infra- former MMC A. J. Mohamed Faiz, now a one-man commission headed by a structure of the shanty gardens, member of the Western Provincial retired Judge. comprising Sekku Watte in Council, told The Island on yesterday (10). “Before the dissolution the 56 Thotalanga, Sekku Watte, 75 He urged the government to provide Members of the Colombo Watte, Papadam Watte, alternative accommodation to both low Municipal Council were allocated A.J.Mohomed Blomendhal and Kimbula Ela, all income groups and shanty dwellers before funds for the purpose of develop- flood prone areas, had been devel- their cadjan houses are demolished under ing their respective wards. oped. the on going progamme. “The MMCs made representations to Furthermore, in response to his pro- He also charged that CMC Special various committees viz, Environmental, posal the road from Upali Newspapers to What the PSC Commissioner Omar Kamil was only Health, and Traffic depending on the need. Temple Road, which was flooded following working for the benefit of the rich as evi- “Now there is no one to focus on press- even a light shower is currently undergo- dent by the fact that the slum dwellers lack ing problems faced by the poor,” he ing reconstruction, he said. on NGOs said Launch today of resource Maradana police CPU OIC BY C. A. CHANDRAPREMA cacy groups and other such NGOs that deal in ‘intangibles’ into the defini- arrested for extortion book on dementia ontinuing our examination of tion. The most insidious NGOs are not the NGO sector, it would be use- those that deal in tangibles but those A resource book for the first of its kind published BY HEMANTHA RANDUNU in financial difficulties and could Cful to see what the that deal in intangibles.) care of dementia will be by the NIMH. Three persons, including the only pay Rs. 50,000. Parliamentary select committee head- The Select Committee in fact did launched by the National “Quoting the Health Officer-in-Charge of the The gang had accepted Rs. ed by Vijitha Herath had to say about acknowledge that not all NGOs operat- Institute of Mental Health Secretary Dr. Ravindra ‘Community Police Unit’ attached 50,000 and released them, sources the activities of NGOs in this country. ed against the national interest but with support from Ruberu she said that car- to Maradana police station, are said. When the couple had arrived Vijitha Herath is a JVP parliamentari- that at present the NGO sector as a Volunteer Services ing for someone with under investigation for allegedly at the Maradana police station to an and one may say that his views whole had a negative an impact on Overseas and the dementia was very diffi- extorting Rs. 50,000 from a lodge a complaint, they had seen would necessarily be prejudiced certain fields such as sovereignty, European Union today cult. It requires support Sudanese national. one member of the gang in the against NGOs. But this committee defence and national security, religion (10). and expertise. The Sources say the suspects had uniform of the Civil Defence comprised 26 members from the and education among others. The A media spokesman for resource book expertly abducted the foreigner and his Sri Force. The arrest of the suspect UPFA, UNP, JVP and the TNA. This Select Committee was of the opinion the NIMH, VSO Volunteer, covers the aspects of car- Lankan wife on Wednesday (8) and his subsequent interrogation interim report has been signed by D. that NGOs interfere unnecessarily in Shauna Humphries said ing for patients with and threatened them with death led to investigators to the police M. Jayarathna, Dinesh Gunawardena, sensitive issues of the country. The on Thursday (09) that the dementia – providing med- unless they paid them Rs. 2.5 mil- officer and a another person and Mahinda Samarasinghe among select committee also made two very book titled ‘Understanding ical and practical knowl- lion. Sources say the couple had employed at a private employment others on behalf of the UPFA, Joseph significant observations which should Dementia: A resource edge. convinced the gang that they were agency. Michael Perera, John Amaratunga be highlighted. Book for Dementia Care,’ English Sinhala and and Vajira Abeywardena and others * “On various instances, it was had been designed to pro- Tamil translations of the on behalf of the UNP and Vijitha clearly seen that many international vide practical knowledge resource guide would be Herath, Bimal Rathnayake and Sunil non-governmental organisations have tools and expertise to all distributed to all mental Handunnetti on behalf of the JVP. G. exaggerated conditions prevalent in Kathak Dance, “Naalu Pennungal” film at ICC health care workers and health facilities of the G. Ponnambalam, who represented the Sri Lanka, with the aim of obtaining The Indian Cultural Centre, with subtitles in English) of family members who care country.‘Understanding TNA has not signed the interim aid from their mother countries.” Colombo has organized an evening Padma Vibhushan Adoor for people with dementia. Dementia,’ resource book report. * “At the same time, it was seen of Kathak dance by Sadara Gopalakrishnan will be screened, Health experts agree is a part of a four year The interim report of “The Select very clearly that the poverty of Sri Supathum Peiris, Anjalee followed by a talk by the Director, that mental health issues project - supporting devel- Committee of parliament for the Lankans is used by many non govern- Wijesiriwardane,Rangana at ICC Auditorium. like dementia would arise oping rights based on men- Investigation of the Operations of mental organisations as the main Nawagamuwa and Loshitha Adoor Gopalakrishnan hails in the future as twenty tal health services in Sri Non-Governmental Organisations and channel to approach the public. Samaraweera at the ICC auditori- from Kerala in South India and is percent of the Sri Lankan Lanka. The book was co- their Impact” which was presented to Both the above charges are damn- um,16/2, Gregory’s Road, Colombo one of the most renowned film- population would be above funded by the European parliament in December 2008 thus rep- ing indictments of the way NGOs 7 today. makers of India. He is the pioneer the age of 65 years by 2020. Union and the Sylvia resents a rare occasion where the gov- operate. One may think that when con- On June 11, a film entitled of the film society movement as The resource book is the Adams Charitable Trust. ernment and the main opposition saw ditions in Sri Lanka are exaggerated “Naalu Pennungal” (Malayalam well as parallel cinema in Kerala. eye to eye. As such the findings of this by international NGOs so as to obtain select committee are very relevant to more money, that would result in a net the present discussion. inflow of funds into Sri Lanka and TN move ploy... From page 1 This select committee was set up would therefore be beneficial for the From UNP National List MP D. been acting at the behest of Police, land... page 1 ‘to look into the opera- country. But that is M. Swaminathan recently major fisheries organisations, tions of foreign aid not what has been accused the government of which operated hundreds of able issue, since some of applies to the repeal of receiving non-govern- happening. The failing to prevent the TN trawlers. the Tamil political parties Emergency Regulations. It is mental organisations’ Parliamentary fishing fleet from cross- The TN Assembly were opposed to it, he said being done in stages” and inquire into ‘the Select Committee ing the Indo-Lanka mar- demanded the Central adding that the Tamil The Indian delegation, transparency of the has mentioned the financial activities of case of tsunami itime boundary. The Government take National Alliance was not which would include UNPer also accused the action to support war those non-governmen- housing where the the sole representative of Defence Secretary Pradeep government of failing to crime allegations tal organisations, iden- government signed provide the wherewithal against Sri Lanka and Tamils. Kumar and Defence Advisor tify the manner in MOUs with 59 for them to engage in impose economic In implementing the pro- Shiv Shankar Menon, was to which the operations of NGOs to construct deep sea fishing. sanctions to pressure visions of the 13 th request the Mahinda the said non-governmental organisa- 65,782 houses for tsunami victims, but Sri Lankan sources alleged the country to give equal sta- Amendment, the security Rajapaksa regime to fully tions have made an impact on the sov- only 3,270 houses have been built by 2008. Besides, the durability of even that the TN officialdom had tus and dignity to Tamils. and sovereignty of the coun- implement the 13th ereignty and national security of Sri Lanka’ etcetera. This interim report the houses that were built has been try has to be given prime Amendment, including land starts with a damning indictment of below expectations and most of the consideration, Rambukwella and police powers to the the NGO sector in the introduction housing schemes have become unin- said.