Galle-Matara Railway Sold To Indian Company. Workers Are Being Transferred

It is reported that the construction of the new rail track parallel to the existing Galle-Matara rail track and rehabilitation of the latter were handed over to an Indian company.

It was decided to keep this track closed from 1st of August for over 6 months and the workers who had been employed so far have been transferred to other places. Railway Employee rights and property conservation organization states that the move to hand over the work of the rail tracks in the South is the first step of selling railway services to an Indian company.

Despite having the possibility  of constructing and rehabilitating rail tracks with minimum expenses by using employees of the Railway Department, the contract has been handed over to an Indian company. However, Railway employee rights and property Conservation Organization further states that halting railway services over such a long period as long as 6 months to construct parallel rail track is ridiculous and pointed out they never stopped services while constructing new tracks. New rail tracks could be built while maintaining train services on existing track they said. The existing track can be repaired after that. The organization states that behind the process of removing the employees is a conspiracy of selling all train services to an Indian company is being hatched .

There is a great objection from employees against this handing of train services to an Indian company. Therefore some trade union leaders are granted free tours to India to suppress this objection .