Proper infrastructure facilities such as roads, bridges and drainage systems are of utmost importance to the general public. It is the expectation of the citizens that public funds be utilized to improve infrastructure facilitating the needs of the people.
However, in many of the areas in Sri Lanka, this is neglected by the authorities and there are many reported instances where corruption has led millions of public funds to be drained off. Deals that are struck between the government authorities and the contractors have in most cases been the reason behind issues like these.
The Right to Information (RTI) Act has helped keeping corruption in check to a certain extent as more and more people get to know of its purpose and uses.
Villagers of Thelbadde, Badulla are one such group that uses RTI demanding to know the information regarding Thelbadde bridge construction. Thelbadde is an area which can be accessed by crossing the bridge that runs over Badulu Oya. The Thelbadde Bridge has been connecting the town and village for over 40 years granting its residents access to Elleaarawa which is also the only gateway to transport tea, the main economic crop of the area.
The bridge is in an utterly dire condition today as the columns supporting the sides of the bridge have collapsed to the ground. Crossing the bridge has been an extremely dangerous and challenging task for the school students and public servants who have to move across the bridge back and forth on a daily basis. The bridge is also very narrow that no two vehicles can cross the bridge at the same time and no passenger can walk by when a vehicle occupies the stretch of the bridge.
A limitation of the amount of tea leaves transported will cripple the businesses of small estate owners. As the paddy harvest and whatever is grown in home gardens alone are taken to the markets cultivation practises of the farmers have also been disrupted. The farmers find it difficult to transport fertilizer and other necessities for their farms from the town as well.
As the railings on the sides of the bridge are not stable several accidents have been reported on the bridge. Although the bridge has been in a dilapidated state for more than two years now, no action has been taken so far regarding reparation of the bridge.
As there had been no response to repeated requests from Thelbadda and Elleaarawa villagers regarding the reparation of the bridge, the villagers decided to make inquiries using the Right to Information Act.
An RTI was filed to the Badulla Divisional Secretariat Office by the villagers led by a group of youngsters who learnt about RTI through a programme conducted by SLPI with the financial assistance of USAID-SDGAP programme.
The Badulla Pradeshiya Sabha sent the letter titled RTI/BD/BPS/2018/02 dated 04-12-2018 stating that the responsibility to repair the Thelbadde Bridge lies with the Uva Provincial Road Department.
Now the villagers are looking to the Provincial road department to get the information so that the bridge could be repaired soon. They are hoping that the RTI request will assist their cause.
The villagers thank the youth for educating them on Right to Information. Thanks to the Act now they can find a solution for the burning issue they had over the years.
The youth who educated the residents in Thelbedde area said that their elders used to fear questioning public bodies. But with the knowledge they gained on RTI they were able to empower residents in the area and instill confidence in them to demand and exercise their rights. .
This update was prepared by participants of the Information and Communication Training Workshop conducted by the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) through a grant funded by the United States Agency for International Development through the Strengthening Democratic Governance and Accountability Project Activity.
“The contents of this post are the sole responsibility of SLPI and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.”
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