Probe on issue of bus route licences

By Yasas Mendis

Serious malpractices have been revealed within the National Transport Commission (NTC) in issuing route permits for the operation of buses, prompting the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises to carry out inquiries about the discrepancies.
Since October last year at least 28 route permits have been issued by the NTC, reportedly ignoring a previous Cabinet decision that permits should be issued only by calling for tenders.

Transport Ministry Secretary Nihal Somaweera has called for a report from the NTC chairman on his failure to abide by the Cabinet decision.

The Sunday Times learns that the NTC had turned down applications for route permits on the grounds that a policy decision had been taken not to issue fresh permits and displayed a notice to this effect, but had reportedly issued permits to persons with influence.

The Government has decided that it would not be following a policy adopted during President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s regime when both the NTC and the Provincial Road Passenger Transport Authority had issued permits without any assessment of the competence of the applicants.