Missing the Jaffna bus

[TamilNet, Friday, 09 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
If providing an efficiently run public transport system is part of the Sri Lankan Government's plan to win the hearts and minds of Jaffna people, it has very little to show for it in the peninsula.

The proclamation of the 'control' of Jaffna by the Sri Lanka Army was accompanied by a firm promise of a swift restoration of public amenities including transport.

But today, two years after the completion of Operation Rivireasa, there are only 40 buses to be used by the 500,000 people that the government says live in the peninsuala have only 40 buses for their service. This meager number is rendered more insignificant due to various other factors - one of the most important of which is the behaviour of the security forces.

Soon after a confrontation between the SLA and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on the Kandy Road near Puloppalai in the Thenmaradchi division of Jaffna recently, a bus on its way to Jaffna from Palai was stopped and surrounded by soldiers. They assaulted the passengers and the driver and inflicted extensive damage on the bus.

This incident is not exceptional.

Last month alone three bus drivers and three conductors were assaulted while on duty by the army in various parts of the peninsula.

While being guilty of wanton destruction of public transport, military authorities have proposed that bus fares in the peninsula be doubled.

Sources in Jaffna say that the military is unhappy about the 2.5 million rupee given the Northern Regional Transport Board (NRTB) by the Central Transport Board (CTB) to subsidise its losses. Salaries alone cost the NRTB 2.4 million rupees a month which is in addition to administration, purchase of spare parts and other miscellaneous expenditure. The monthly income of the NRTB is only rupees 2 million.

This proposal was put forward Military Coordinating Officer (Civil Administration) for the Jaffna District Brigadier Thilakaratna. Since the plan was opposed by officials of the NRTB, the proposal has now been put to the Transport Ministry for a decision.

The military has also issued strict instructions that buses are not to ply on roads which are declared out of bounds or no go zones. Further inconvenience is caused to the public when cordon and search operations are conducted by the SLA because the buses passing through the cordoned area are stopped. The military is also accused of utilising buses for various emergencies, thus putting the public, already facing a dearth of buses in further difficulties.

It is estimated that 18.5 million rupees to repair the transport board building, garages and other workshops which were destroyed or heavily damaged when the army moved into the peninsula in late 1995. But no money for repairs or reconstruction has been received up to date.

It is estimated that 150 buses are required for a healthy bus service in the peninsula, but only 40 buses are currently in operation. The acute shortfall has made it almost impossible to even draw up a time table to run buses according to a schedule.

While the number of buses diminish, the perennial problem faced by state run institutions - over staffing - prevails in the NRTB too. The ratio of buses to employees is at present 1:15.

The NRTB has also run into problems because buses imported from China, known as Great Wall, proved to be unsatisfactory because there are no drivers who are competent to drive them on the Jaffna roads. Besides, there neither qualified engineers to repair these buses nor are there any spare parts . After a protest over this matter was lodged with the Chairman of the CTB Ramal Siriwardena, it was agreed that no Great Wall buses would be sent to Jaffna in the future.

While everyone in the peninsula is victimised by the rickety bus service, it is those working in the islands, Thenmaraatchchi, Vadamaraatchchi Vaddukkoddai, Ilavalai, Madagal, Changanai, Pandaththarippu, Palai who suffer most. This has forced them to report late for work and leave their offices early .

As the election for the local government bodies in Jaffna draws near, one might expect that these problems of the common man would be reflected in the campaign and in the issues before the public. However, the unfortunate situation is that transport like many other public amenities in Jaffna is something over which the people have little say. Hence it is unlikely to change for the better whatever the results of the local government election might be.