BY Buddhika Samaraweera
The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union (SLRSMU) has accused Railways Department General Manager Dhammika Jayasundara of having misled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by giving the latter false information regarding 10 locomotives and 120 compartments imported to Sri Lanka since 2019, during the progress review meeting of the Transport Ministry on Monday (14).
Speaking to The Morning yesterday (15), SLRSMU General Secretary Kasun Chamara claimed that although Jayasundara had told the President that 40 of the said 120 compartments imported to Sri Lanka on several occasions since 2019 had been put into operation, only 31 of those compartments are currently in operation.
“We have repeatedly pointed out that these 120 train compartments imported into the country are unfit to run on Sri Lankan railways. They are especially prone to derailments due to their heavy weight. However, during a discussion with the President, Jayasundara has said that 40 of those compartments are currently in operation, which is completely untrue. At present, only 31 of those compartments are in operation,” he alleged.
Speaking further, Chamara said that although Jayasundara had stated during the said discussion that the remaining number of these 120 compartments would be added to trains, they are not fit to be operated on the existing railways.
He also charged that Jayasundara had given wrong information to the President regarding 10 locomotives that had been imported, but cannot be operated due to their weight. “Jayasundara has said that some of these locomotives are already in use and that the rest will be added in the future. But, as we have pointed out on several occasions, these locomotives, same as the compartments, cannot be operated as they are too heavy,” he claimed.
Chamara stressed that, instead of misleading the authorities, Jayasundara and the other concerned parties should look into the possibility of exchanging these compartments and locomotives with new ones, as there is a huge loss to the department due to the continuous abandonment of such.
During the progress review of the Transport Ministry and the Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Train Compartments, and Motor Car Industry State Ministry on Monday, Jayasundara had stated that 40 of the said 120 train compartments were in operation at present, while the rest would be added to trains soon.
However, when inquired about this, Jayasundara denied the allegations made by the SLRSMU. He said that out of the 120 compartments, 63 compartments, and seven locomotives out of the 10 locomotives that were imported, had been added to the fleet by yesterday.
The SLRSMU recently emphasised that the department should take action against the officials responsible for the importation of these compartments and locomotives that are not fit to be operational on the existing railways.
Chamara, on an earlier occasion, claimed that a team of department officials had left for India to inspect the said compartments before purchasing them. However, he said that the Transport Sub-Department, which is a very important sub-department within the Railways Department in matters related to railway compartments, had not been consulted.
He also alleged that out of the 10 locomotives imported from India at a cost of Rs. 760 million, only two are in operation.
“The locomotives imported from India weigh about 120 tonnes each, but the locomotives that are usually purchased by the department weigh 60 to 80 tonnes. Due to the weight of these locomotives, they cannot be operated on the existing railways. Even though two of them are currently in operation, they constantly cause derailments,” he claimed.
Station masters claim Railways GM misled President at meeting
16 Feb 2022
Station masters claim Railways GM misled President at meeting
16 Feb 2022