Motorcycle registrations record new high on eve of presidential poll
View(s):Vehicle registrations in Sri Lanka were up in the past 11 months from a year earlier with a sharp increase in motor cycle imports specially for the government’s motor cycle distribution programme for field officers, teachers, policemen and provincial politicians during the past two months targeting the upcoming presidential elections, Motor Traffic Department (MTD) vehicle registry data revealed.
Motor cycle registrations were up 21.6 per cent to 233,787 during the past 11 months from155,242 during the same period last year with a significant increase seen in the months of October and November this year, the period in which the government began distributing motor cycles worth Rs. 200,000 at a subsidised price of Rs. 50,000 to government officials
The government is to forgo around Rs.15 billion of public money in implementing this highly politicised subsidy scheme of providing 100,000 motorcycles tor field officers in the state service under a proposal made in 2014 budget which was extended to policemen and teachers in the 2015 budget.
It is also distributing motor cycles for around 10,000 members of local government institutions and Pradesheeya Sabha members outside the purview of the budget on the eve of presidential elections, official sources revealed.
In October, 35,514 motor cycles were registered with the Motor Traffic Department, an increase of 45.7 per cent compared to registrations in September numbering 24,437. This had further increased by 52.6 per cent to 37,283 in November.
Motor cycle registrations rose to 72,897 in the past two months from 31,151 during the same period last year, MTD vehicle registry data revealed. This was an increase of 134 per cent.