Beliatta railway station not built to acceptable standards

Colombo (News 1st): There is always a question surrounding the quality of projects that are launched for the benefit of the public at large. The current state of the Beliatta railway station is a good example of the appaling standards of these projects. The Matara Beliatta railway station that was vested with the public on the 8th of this month was constructed at a cost of US$ 278.2 million. Evidence of the lack of proper standards at the train station surfaced during a heavy downpour last evening (April 11) when a section of the switching track at the Beliatta railway station sank during the heavy rains yesterday. The roof at the train station was also damaged. The signalling system at the train station was damaged after being hit by a bolt of lightning. News 1st correspondent in the area noted that the train bound to Beliatta from Maradana was terminated at Matara and the passengers continued the rest of the journey on a smaller train due to the malfunction in the signalling system at the Beliatta train station. These issues at the Beliatta railway station surfaced only 5 days after the project was declared open. However, a cleanup operation at the railway station was launched this morning. On making inquiries, General Manager of Railways Dilantha Fernando said that the company that carried out the construction had given a guarantee of 2 years. He added that the quality of the lightning rods at the railway station is also questionable. He further said that the Railway department is looking into the matter broadly. Our attempts to contact a representative of the company that handled the construction contract were futile. It must be stressed that it has been only 5 days since the railway track was vested with the public.

FOR YOUR ATTENTION!!!