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Traffic fines: Another review likely
View(s):The decision to impose fines of Rs. 25,000 for seven specified traffic offences is being reviewed again, following protests by some public transport associations.
Deputy Transport Minister Asoka Abeysinghe said yesterday the amount could be lowered to Rs. 10,000. Last Tuesday the Transport Minister, the Finance Minister and the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association and the All Island Three-wheel Driver’s Union had agreed on the fine of Rs. 25,000 for seven specified offences instead of the original proposal for a fine of Rs. 2,500 for all offences.
But other private bus and transport sector associations are threatening strike action over the Rs. 25,000 fine on Friday.
The Deputy Minister said that the proposed fine increases would not come into effect immediately as amendments needed to be presented in Parliament.
The Lanka Private bus owners Associations Trade Union Alliance leader, Stanley Fernando, said they will go ahead with the strike against the heavy fines and the practical issues in implementing it.
Southern Private Bus Owners Association Chairman Chandana de Zoysa said they had printed more than 40,000 posters to be pasted on their buses to inform the passengers that they would resort to strike action from December 1. He called on President Maithripala Sirisena to intervene and settle the issue.
The All-Island Inter-District Schoolchildren’s Transport Association President N.M.K. Harishchandra Padmasiri said they too would stop their services on Friday.