Before Minister Rathnayake’s “do or depart” advice boomerangs…

He reminded them of a recent incident where a five-year old child got his fingers crushed when a poorly maintained shutter of a window fell of them

Reminding us of the Latin phrase “disce aut discede” (Learn or depart) which is also the motto of the Royal College, Colombo, Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake in a recent meeting warned  officials of the Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) to “do or depart.”
He pointed out  the appalling conditions of the amenities in trains in the country. He questioned why the relevant official cannot repair the windows and toilets and replace the broken fans in compartments, despite his ministry having allocated sufficient funds to do them. He reminded them of a recent incident where a five-year old child got his fingers crushed when a poorly maintained shutter of a window fell of them. 
Voicing concern at the monumental   lethargy in Sri Lanka’s bureaucracy, Rathnayake said that he had informed the relevant official several times --  over the phone and personally meeting him -- to repair the windows, but this request was ignored. Subsequently, he politely sent a message to the officials saying that he loved to work with them, but if they are not prepared to perform their duties,  they should depart.  Meanwhile, The Anuradhapura High Court in a landmark ruling ordered the Transport Minister and the relevant officials  to renovate all railway stations between Vavuniya and Mahawa to ensure accessibility to persons with disabilities.
These incidents point to the condition of  trains that transport millions of people every day in Sri Lanka. In fact, travelling in a train during peak hours, or in long-distance trains, is a nightmare, despite millions of commuters using those trains daily, plagued by insufficient ventilation, no proper lighting facilities and worse, no hygienic toilets . Commuters endure all these hardships lifelong, as no one in the relevant offices are prepared to listen to them.
Yet, interestingly, there is a common perception among those commuters who use public transport that travelling in trains is more comfortable than in buses run by the private sector or the state-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), despite both modes of transport not providing a commuter-centric service. There is no guarantee of safety, comfort, or passenger-friendly attitude among the employees of both modes of transport, especially those of the bus service. The private bus service seems to be run by a mafia. 
Former State Minister of Transport Lasantha Alagiyawanna told media last year that 2,557 deaths were reported in 2,200 traffic accidents in 2023. Another media report published  in 2023 quoting government official data, said that at least one person had died in 10 road accidents every three hours in Sri Lanka since 2016.These reports indicate road accidents claim at least eight lives a day. This has been officially confirmed by data released by the Police Traffic Department last year which said that on average eight people have died daily due to road accidents between 2016 and 2023.
A study published in 2022 identifies six reasons for major road accidents --  overtaking, diversion, high speed driving, alcohol consumption of drivers, negligence of pedestrians, and mechanical faults of vehicles. There may be other factors as well, such as the age of  drivers and the condition of the roads. Following a health checkup conducted by the Kuliyapitiya MOH office in 2023, it was revealed that SLTB employees including drivers in  Kuliyapitiya were at high risk for hypertension, a condition often referred to as a ‘silent killer.’ 
Politicians in the past have taken only haphazard action to mitigate this situation. For instance, following a train-bus collision at an unprotected level crossing which killed over 50 people, mostly school children, and injured another 110, the then President Ranasinghe Premadasa ordered the immediate installation of  temporary “bamboo gates” at all 752 unattended level crossings across the country. No follow-up action was heard thereafter.  Corruption is another malady that has engulfed the railways and the SLTB, especially the latter. A former State Minister of Transport, M.S. Sellasamy once innocently asked the officials of both institutions  why they were running  at a loss when no passenger travels in them on credit.
Minister Rathnayake and his deputy Dr. Prasanna Gunasena seem to desire a change in the transport sector. Yet, it is not clear if they have realised the nature of  the challenges lurking ahead, given the attitudes  their officials have inherited from the past. If it is not addressed prudently,  people will ask the government to “do or depart.”

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