Improvements to Road Safety at Victoria Range

While the Highway Authority in Sri Lanka failed to meet the statutory requirements for the signing of speed limits forming the basis of a legal defence to a charge of exceeding a speed limit, we, the home owners of Victoria Range, Digana, are pleased to note that there are several speed limit sign boards installed at vital points to inform the speed limit, i.e. 15 KmPH, within the premises.

Speed is the main factor in crashes and road trauma. In acknowledging safer speed limits and travelling at appropriate speeds on roads within Victoria Range, we are all contributing to make our roads safer for children, joggers, workers and other vehicles.

Nivasie Developers (Pvt) Ltd has recently installed three new speed limit sign boards; at the beginning of Lotus Avenue, at the Lake Side Roundabout and at the Mountain Avenue Junction. Nivasie is also in the process of installing speed humps along Lotus Avenue in the newly developed Zone Two.

As a permanent resident, I appreciate the steps taken by the Management of Nivasie and ICC to improve road safety within Victoria Range.

I am sure that we all will share the same view.

Solution for Display Problem of PDFs in Google Document Viewer with Internet Explorer

The "Google Docs" allows multiple users to create, edit, and share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations from a web browser. We use this feature extensively in the Victoria Range Community Blog to share important up-to-date documents with you. 

Our tests confirmed that all top web browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Avant Browser, Opera, Apple Safari) are fully compatible with Google Docs except Internet Explorer, which has a display problem of PDF documents in embeddable Goggle Document Viewer for reasons known only to Microsoft and Google.

If you are a Internet Explorer user, please follow the instructions below to read the documents in our blog.

We thank those who reported the problem and apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Video Instructions




Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Select "Tools" from the Main Menu

Step 2: Select "Internet Options" from the Drop-down Menu

Step 3: Select "Privacy" Tab

Step 4: Select "Sites" Button in "Privacy" Tab

Step 5: Type google.com in Address of website field

Step 6: Select "Allow" Button

Step 7: Select "OK" Button in "Per Site.." Window

 Step 8: Select 'OK" Button in "Internet Option" Window

Step 9: Select "Refresh" Button OR Press F5 to reload the page

Help Us to Help You Better : Say NO to Water-Retaining Plants

House plants such as pandanus, heliconia and bromeliads, which we grow with love and care, collect water in leaf sheaths and these can be breeding places for Dengue mosquitoes, if water remains for more than 7 days.

As we are fully aware now, the first step in the Dengue control activity begins at home and that is proper collection/disposal of household waste and reduction/elimination of possible mosquito breeding places. Therefore please instruct your gardener to remove Water-Retaining Plants from your garden in Victoria Range, Digana

 

Action Group releases Checklists for Control Breeding of Dengue Mosquitoes

The checklists were finalized by the action group at their third meeting of the "Control the Breeding of Dengue Mosquitoes" project held on Friday, 16th July 2010 at the Site Managers Office in Victoria Range, Digana, Kandy.

The action group will first instruct the gardeners on implementing the checklist. Then the members of the action group will execute random checks within Zone 1 of Victoria Range based on the checklists, starting from 4th August 2010.

Mr. Kularathne Pathirage explained the progress being made by Nivasie / ICC in their designated areas.

Mr. Lalith Wijesingha, Mr. Cassim Nazar, Mr. Ranjith Rathnayake, Mr. Gamini Premadasa, Mr. Ananda Kandapola, Mrs. Kumari Ratnayake, Mr. Wimalajeeva, Mr. Pradeep Manjula and Mr. Kularathne Pathirage attended the meeting.

Checklist for Gardeners

Checklist for Home Owners

Checklist for Resident Home Owners and Caretakers

Club Victoria Resort in Victoria Range, Digana, Kandy (by Lalith Wijesingha)

All home owners of Victoria Range no doubt will acknowledge that the Club Victoria Resort  which principally comprise of the swimming pool, restaurant, gym and clubhouse has a picturesque setting, with the Knuckles range of mountains forming the backdrop. To be seated in the clubhouse experiencing the mild breeze wafting across at most times of the day, is indeed both  relaxing and therapeutic.

Unfortunately the Resort lacks the patronage it ideally would wish to have due to a multitude of reasons. Obtaining the revenue to keep it afloat, I am sure is a challenge. Home owners of Victoria Range will concede that Nivasie has a problem in retaining an exclusivity here, as once touted in their sales brochures and websites.

I am sure I express the view of the majority of the home owners in saying that they would wish the Club Victoria Resort and it’s facilities be exclusively enjoyed by them and their guests. It has been the consensus at many fora amongst home owners that providing access to the public to enjoy the Resort and it’s facilities has to discouraged as well as prevented. Doggedly presenting a view without exploring it’s ramifications is unreasonable. We as home owners have to collectively present a viable alternative if the objective of exclusive use is to be realised. It is my view that the Resort, and all what it has to offer must be service oriented only, raising  sufficient revenue to meet all it’s expenditure. It should not function as a profit centre to be attractive to the majority of the Victoria Range Home Owners.

I am more or less certain that many will heed call to enroll as family members by paying the annual membership, provided the above conditions are met and there is a win-win situation for all concerned.

These comments are personal to me and hopefully will trigger an exchange of “blogs” which will develop many a viewpoint on an important subject.

Open Letter to Home Owners (from the Action Group - Control the Breeding of Dengue mosquitoes)

An initiative has been taken by the Kundasale Pradeshiya Council to control the spread of Dengue and other mosquito related diseases in the areas under their purview.Victoria Range has been co-opted as a participant in this initiative.The potential risks for the breeding of the dengue mosquito has been identified by the Health Authorities and a check list has been generated by the Dengue Action Group in line with these risks.

The main thrust of the initiative is to keep one's homes and premises risk free.A few permanent residents at Victoria Range have formed a group to implement this initiative to control the  breeding of Dengue mosquitoes in the Complex.

One of the first tasks of this group was to identify the homes whose gardens are in neglect. This letter is specially directed to them.

We urge you to take immediate steps to be responsible to maintain your garden in a routine, regular manner. Your garden and premises will  be subject to a regular inspection against the checklist. Please note that continued neglect of your premises, posing a potential dengue risk is anti-social and liable for prosecution by the Health Authorities.

It might be useful for you to be aware that this initiative covers the whole complex which includes the Nivasie controlled common areas such as the drains, roads, ponds, green areas and ICC controlled areas such as the construction sites, workshops, etc.

This groups intention is to regularly monitor the progress of this initiative by planned visits covering the entire complex and generate a monthly report which will be made available to the MOH, Kundasale and the Victoria Range HOA members.

As concerned members of the Victoria Range HOA, we believe that you will take meaningful steps to heed to our appeal and cooperate in this effort.

Sincerely yours,

The Action Group - Control the Breeding of Dengue Mosquitoes

Improvements to infrastructure at Digana (by Lalith Wijesingha)

Home owners of Victoria Range will be pleased to note that the A26 road leading to Mahiyangana which is the main approach to Digana from Kandy has been relaid from the Army Camp to Digana junction.This permits drivers a smooth journey on a much improved surface from Kandy to Digana. This stretch of road is also in  the process of being widened at the edges. In addition the Digana Town road network which was in a deplorable state has been rehabilitated and is in a genuinely better condition. These two improvements to the road network to and around Digana provides to a better quality of life for the residents of Victoria Range.

One negative that all home owners at Victoria Range would wish be eliminated is the poor condition of Sri Rahula Mawatha- the approach road to Victoria Range from the main A26. There is a growing sense of optimism that this road too will get rehabilitated soon. The signs are that there is a gradual upliftment to the infrastructure in the area, without a disturbance to the tranquil and rustic surroundings of Victoria Range.

As a permanent resident of Victoria Range for the last two years it is my considered view that a noticeable improvement has taken place in  the attempt to provide a continuous supply of electricity and water by both the Ceylon Electricity Board and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board respectively. It is expected that one should see improvements rather than deterioration to these critical services.

Nature too has been kind this year in this area.The average temperatures have been much lower than in 2009 due to the  increased rainfall. The increase in the varieties of birds present in the complex is apparent by the various distinct bird calls heard at daybreak. A word of warning though in that the surrounding villages of Victoria Range are identified as high risk Dengue areas. A dengue control programme is being put in place at Victoria Range to mitigate these risks.

I felt that I should share some of the pluses and minuses at Victoria Range with the community.