Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka

Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, I will briefly address two Motor Traffic orders before us. First, the fees for issuing temporary Sri Lankan driving permits to foreign licence holders arriving in Sri Lanka have been revised, with higher fees for foreigners than for locals. Second, the validity of certain driving licences is temporarily extended for those who could not renew during recent crises. I propose that temporary permits for foreign licence holders be issued not only at the airport but also at key tourist destinations. I represent Galle District—Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, Ahangama, Weligama and the coastal belt attract many tourists. Many local businesses rent scooters, motorcycles and three-wheelers daily, generating income for them and for the tourism sector. Establish a point in a city like Galle for these permits, and provide basic orientation on our road rules—our traffic signage differs from abroad—so it improves safety for drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Transport is crucial. Recently, seat belts were mandated for front seats on expressways; now they are mandatory for rear passengers too—good for safety. Buses on expressways must also have seat belts—again, good. But bus owners say original seat belts are unavailable and they are forced to fix temporary ones of questionable standards; prices have spiked to LKR 4,000–5,000. If belts fail, intended safety won’t be achieved. Please look at these practical issues. On number plates, Hon. Mujibur Rahuman asked when the shortage would end; the Minister said by mid-November it would be solved. Today is 18 February, and it remains unsolved. Around 250,000 motorcycles, 68,000 cars, 17,500 three-wheelers, about 7,000 dual-purpose vehicles and 2,500 cabs—roughly 362,000 vehicles registered last year—still lack proper plates. We saw on Saturday Cabinet approval to call new tenders; how long will that take? Even Hon. Rahuman has paid around LKR 15,000 and waited months for plates with no result. The Government also announced testing bus drivers for narcotics or alcohol—good for safety. But if a driver fails, cancelling the owner’s route permit is unfair. Some owners have several buses and drivers—why should the owner be punished for a driver’s offence? If you do it, do it also to the SLTB—cancel its licence if a driver fails? This must be practical, not arbitrary. Public transport is still in disarray. Rail departures are unreliable; delays are long; strikes disrupt services. Due to driver violations, fatal bus accidents keep rising. People travel by bus or rail packed and at risk; many difficult roads have no night services. Transport costs are unbearable. In developed countries most people use public transport—we must aim for that. Season ticket holders cannot afford extra costs when trains are delayed or cancelled. Please pay attention. Cyclone Michaung severely affected the rail network; the Minister spoke of progress. But from 2020 to now only about four km of new track have been laid, and about four main stations added—hardly satisfactory. There are still about 425 unsafe level crossings. In 2024 there were 253 rail accidents with 244 deaths. The Department reportedly lost LKR 11,000 million in 2024. Elephant-train collisions are up; just days ago a night mail train derailed after hitting an elephant. In the first ten months of 2025 alone, 17 elephants died due to train collisions—serious losses to wildlife and to the railways. On buses: SLTB operates about 4,500 trips; around 5,000 buses sit in depots, with about five staff per bus where only 1.4 are needed. Around 3,000 buses older than 15 years sit in depots with degraded maintenance and safety. Road accidents are a major social burden. Last year there were about 2,500 fatal road accidents, with about 2,700 deaths—motorcycles most affected, then three-wheelers. Fatal accidents involving private and SLTB buses are also significant. Please give special attention to seat belts, number plates, accident prevention, and level crossing safety. Thank you for the time.