செய்தி
273 buses belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board which had been taken out of service due to dilapidation were repaired and added to the passenger transport system under the patronage of President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at Galle Face Court, Colombo on the morning of 31-12-2020. These buses are used for passenger transport needs on rural roads throughout the island. This programme was initiated by Hon. Dilum Amunugama, Minister of State for Vehicle Regulation, Bus Transport Services and Railway Carriages, Motor Industries, under the guidance of Hon. GaminiLokuge, Minister of Transport.
Vehicle imports were restricted after the new government came to power to rebuild the collapsed economy. As a result, there was a shortage of buses for passenger transport. This project launched as a solution to this problem saves foreign exchange spent on bus imports.
273 buses belonging to107 depots island wide, that were completely out of service have been repaired at a cost of Rs. 115 million.
The project is being implemented by the depots of Sri Lanka Transport Board and the Lakdiva Engineering Company with the full support of the Sri Lanka People’s Transport Employees Union. The project is ongoing.
The President inspected the quality of the buses and encouraged them by engaging in a cordial conversation with the employees of the Sri Lanka Transport Board.
Hon. GaminiLokuge, Minister of Transport, Hon. DilumAmunugama, State Minister of Transport, Mr. LalithWeeratunga, Chief Adviser to the President and Mr.KingsleyRanawaka, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Transport Board were also present.
Parking places and a number of their common facilities constructed for passenger transport service providers at Makumbura Multiple Transport Service Center were declared open by Hon. Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Transport on 30-12-2020. Under this, passenger transport service providers will be provided with a number of facilities such as bus washing facilities, modern toilet facilities, restrooms, bathrooms, electronic billboards and communication facilities. It is hoped thereby to improve the quality and efficiency of the passenger transport service.
Mr. Monti Ranatunga, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Dilantha Fernando, General Manager, Railways, Mr. Nalaka Dissanayake, Project Manager of the Makumbura Multimodal Center, heads of security forces and passenger transport services employees were also present on the occasion.
As one way of the concept of delivering an efficient service to people through the public service as stated in the “Vistas of Prosperity” of His Excellency the President, The Cabinet decided on July 1, 2020 to transfer the process of printing the Sri Lanka Driving License of the Department of Motor Traffic to the Sri Lanka Army from January 1, 2021.
The main objective of this project is to issue Sri Lankan driving licenses to the people of Sri Lanka in an efficient and effective manner, eliminating inefficiencies and misconduct in the process of issuing driving licenses.
Under this initiative, a new institution by the name of the Army Information Technology Solutions Center (AITSC) was established in the Department of Motor Traffic at Werahera.
Under this project, the Sri Lanka Army carries out printing of the driving licenses through a special security system after the computerization of the driving license applicants' biographical information through a very systematic process and implementing the IT infrastructure of a massive integrated computer system and performing full time maintenance of the system. In this integrated computer system, the identity card offices of 9 districts can be connected remotely and online.
This service was carried out by a Sri Lankan private sector company and a foreign company for over a decade and a half, and through carrying out of this service by the Sri Lanka Army, it will be possible to save the money lost in the drain of country’s money to foreign countries and prevent the disclosure of the bio-data of the Sri Lankan citizens to a foreign country.
This special ocassion was held with the participation of the Minister of Transport, Hon. Gamini Lokuge, the Chief of Defense Staff and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, General Shavendra Silva and the State Minister of Transport Hon. Dilum Amunugama as well as with the participation of Mr. Monty Ranatunga, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Sumith Alahakoon, Commissioner of Motor Traffic and Army Security Officers.
In the New Year 2021, Hon. Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Transport met the Secretary to his Ministry, Mr. Monty Ranatunga and all officials andcongratulated them. He said that His Excellency the President and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka look forward to the support of all for the success of the projects initiated and implemented by the Government in the interest of the public, this year.
A Cabinet subcommittee under the chairmanship of Hon. Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Transport, has been appointed to look into possible measures on the unauthorized dweller living in Railway reservations. The other members of this committee are Hon. Janaka Bandara Thennakoon, Minister of Public Services, Provincial Councils & Local Government, Hon. S.M. Chandrasena, Minister of Lands and Hon. Ajith Niwad Kabral, State Minister of Money & Capital Market and State Enterprise Reforms.
Starting its task, this Cabinet subcommittee had its initial meeting on 10.12.2020 at the Ministry of Transport.
The General Manager of Railways notified the Cabinet subcommittee that at present around 152 employees of the Department of Railways are residing in Railway reservations without permission.
In addition to that, the officers were ordered to look into the possible measures to be taken on any other Railway employees residing in Railway reservations without permission and submit a report to the Cabinet subcommittee on the same within one month. Accordingly, the said report was decided to be submitted to the Cabinet subcommittee at its next meeting on 19.01.2021.
Mr. Monti Ranathunga, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Dilantha Fernando, General Manager of Railways, Mr. Keerthi Gamage, Commissioner General of Land and high ranking officers of the relevant government institutions participated in this meeting.