PA and UNP election candidates, flanked by their supporters walking uneasily along the narrow laneways, occasionally stopping for friendly chats and touting for votes, are, at the moment, quite a common sight.
Few people believe the promises.
But housing conditions have continued to worsen. In the shanties, the reality hits one in the face. Most of the shanties have no proper access roads. Inside the shanty towns there are narrow footpaths not wide enough for two people to pass. The paths are full of potholes filled with garbage that fails to dry out even in the hot sun.