(June 11, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Palmyrah Avenue is one of the highly residential by-lanes off Galle Road, in Kollupitiya.
Its residents from all communities are united and it is a wonderful place to reside in.
Of late, residents are highly inconvenienced due to the parking of over 25 passenger cars, and as many commercial vans on a daily basis, haphazardly in every available space down this bylane, thus resulting in endless traffic jams and unpleasant situations where gates and entrances of home owners are blocked, gate areas used as turning circles, and life itself being made in to a living hell.
Most of these vehicles belong to one group that has leased out office space abutting Galle Road. This premises is assessed by the CMC as a Galle Road address, evidently without any rights to use the private by-road.
Consequently, drivers of this group are adopting a ‘don’t care’ attitude with regard to parking on private property and are obstructing and hindering the day to day life of residents of Palmyrah Avenue which is a private road. This establishment has not allocated parking space for their office staff, ignoring UDA regulations and are creating havoc down Palmyrah Avenue — strictly a private road.
It should be brought to the attention of the so called elite management of this group, that residents have complained that drivers of vans with boards proclaiming various messages have often exchanged angry words with them and tried to intimidate them with high handed action, driving recklessly and fast when residents are up and about the road, trying to annoy the residents and provoke a response, and posing a grave threat to elderly people and little children who live and play thereon.
Verbal threats have also been made to street active residents to forcibly remove restrictive materials kept by them to ensure parking of their own vehicles outside their homes and prevent unauthorised parking.
This would amount to robbery, thuggery and intimidation, and residents are ready to face up to these acts, as the police have briefed residents on the course of action they should take if needed. These belligerent actions are currently being monitored.
The management of this group, based a few feet away from Palmyrah Avenue, also is evidently adopting a policy of silence, thus advocating the violation of residents’ rights, and residents are fed up with the manner in which things are happening.
The residents’ association has taken a policy decision which is in the process of being implemented, as their hand has been forced to bring in preventive measures, which will sort out this problem for good. The violent behaviour of van drivers and executives only serve to hasten the residents into exercising their rights down this private road.
Only residents will be allowed to have access to this road, once this plan is implemented. It should be noted that the Kollupitiya Traffic Police and City Traffic Police have been notified of this action. The Colombo Municipal Council and the Urban Development Authority have been consulted and they have classified this by road as a ‘Private Street.’
The Colombo Municipal Council and the Urban Development Authority have also confirmed in writing that the residents are the owners of the road and hence the residents are permitted to even close the road, barring and/or restricting entry to ensure privacy, safety, and security, and have all the rights to do as they please.
This serves to highlight the every day nuisances associated with, and the high handed and belligerent actions of this particular firm in the day-to-day life of common, peace loving residents.
This should be taken as a classic example of the thuggery that is evident in day to day life today.
Residents are committed to the fact that Palmyrah Avenue is a ‘private street’ belonging to its ‘resident owners’ by deed, and shall remain so, protectively, come what may.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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