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Illegal route permits to be cancelled
All bus route permits illegally issued to operate services on the expressways will be cancelled during the coming week, Transport Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara told the Sunday Times.
He said that the previous government had issued permits without tenders identifying them as ‘President Permits’, ‘VIP permits’, ‘Police permits’ and ‘RDA permits’.
He said officials are in the process of checking these permits and the Transport Ministry will be calling for fresh tenders. “We will be asking the holders of the present permits to explain the criteria under which they obtained the permits and cancel them if the holders are not eligible to hold such permita,” he added.
He said that some of the permits have been issued to the State sector while the others were issued to the private sector.
Mr. Maddumabandara said that 20 of the buses had been operated by the Road Development Authority (RDA) with drivers from the Central Transport Board.
Ministry Secretary Dr. Lalith Siri Gunaruwan said a Cabinet paper will be presented to appoint a new Chairman and Board of Directors to the National Transport Commission. Once this is done, tenders will be called before awarding of new route permits, he said.