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Govt. departments keep wheels moving amidst travel restrictions
While islandwide travel restrictions are to be lifted at 4 a.m. on Monday (17), functions in many sectors of the country will still be limited owing to COVID-19 health guidelines and restrictions that will continue to be in place.
Inter-provincial travel will remain banned till May 31, while a daily nighttime curfew will be in effect from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Meanwhile, only one member of a family is allowed to go out for essentials and based on the last digit of their National Identity Card (NIC).
The following are how some Government and private sector institutions are to operate after the lifting of island-wide travel restrictions, and what relief has been granted to the public in certain cases where services have been affected by the pandemic.
Public Services
Even after the lifting of movement restrictions, public services will function with a minimum number of staff. Accordingly, services will operate under the Public Administration Circular 02/2021(II) titled “Ensuring Public Services Without Interruption.”
As per the circular, Secretaries of Ministries / Heads of Departments / Heads of Institutions have been given the authority to decide on the minimum number of staff needed at their institutions to carry out Government services without interruption. This will be done by way of a formal duty roster.
The circular will not apply to the health sector or the security forces, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Services, Provincial Councils and Local Government J.J. Rathnasiri told the Sunday Times.
“The health sector has informed us that they cannot function with such a minimum staff due to their involvement in fighting the pandemic. As such, they will operate under a different set of guidelines,” Mr Rathnasiri said.
As per the new circular, Heads of Government institutions have also been instructed not to call pregnant employees to work. Employees required to work from home when they are not called to office under the duty roster.
Department of Labour
Those visiting the Head Office of the Department of Labour for claims related to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) have to make an appointment via the Department’s website www.labourdept.gov.lk.
Those visiting Provincial and District Labour Offices for EPF claims are requested to make a prior appointment by contacting the relevant office via phone. The telephone numbers and email addresses of these offices can be obtained through the Department of Labour’s official website.
Any matter concerned with labour laws can be forwarded within the jurisdiction area in which one’s workplace is / was situated in, in the form of a written inquiry or complaint. The relevant telephone numbers and email addresses can be obtained from the Labour Department website.
The Transport Board will operate normal bus services from Monday across the districts within the respective provinces during non-travel restriction hours, subjected to health guidelines.
Department of Immigration and Emigration
The Department’s Battaramulla Head Office will be open for the issuance of passports in case of an emergency, while Regional Offices in Kandy, Vavuniya, Matara and Kurunegala will be open for people who may have essential service requirements.
The visas of foreigners in Sri Lanka have been extended by 60 days with effect from May 11, 2021 up to July 9, 2021.Only Visa fees applicable for that period will be charged for the Visas that expire within this period and holders will be exempted from being charged an overstay penalty. The visa extension is also applicable for resident visa holders. However, both tourist and resident visa holders will need to pay their relevant visa fee before July 9 to get their visa extension endorsed.
Department of Motor Traffic
Driving licenses due to expire within the period from April 1 to September 30 will be extended by six months, Commissioner General of Motor Traffic Sumith Alahapperuma told the Sunday Times.
Meanwhile, vehicle owners who fail to submit their vehicle transfer documents to the Department due to the ongoing pandemic too will not face fines, he added.
Most services at the Department of Motor Traffic’s Narahenpita and Werahera offices continue to be suspended. However, from Monday (May 17) those who have to come to the Department for an essential service can do so by calling ahead and obtaining an appointment.
National Transport Medical Institute
The National Transport Medical Institute (NTMI) will resume operations from tomorrow (May 17).
Only clients who have made appointments using the e-channelling facility will be accommodated. However, NTMI branches in Polonnaruwa, Nuwara Eliya, Kalutara, Hambantota and Matale will remain closed. Clients who have scheduled appointments at these branches will be notified later of new dates and times.
Renewal of revenue licences for motor vehicles
In several provinces, the authorities have suspended the renewal of revenue licences for vehicles. The validity period of these licenses has been extended and no fines will be imposed.
Western Province - Renewal of revenue licences suspended from May 12 to May 28. Fines will not be imposed on those whose licences expire during this period and up until June 30.
North Western Province - Renewal of revenue licences suspended till June 15. Fines will not be imposed up until July 15.
Southern Province - Renewal of revenue licences suspended till June 16. No fines will be imposed during this period. The facility to renew licences online will continue.
Sabaragamuwa Province - Renewal of revenue licences suspended till May 30. No fines will be imposed up until June 15.
Central Province – Renewal of vehicle revenue licences suspended till June 14. No fines will be imposed on those whose licenses expire during this period.
Several special office trains will be in operation across provinces
Public Transport
With inter-provincial travel suspended till May 31, Sri Lanka Railways too will limit train services largely within provinces. “We have about 96 trains that operate within provinces on a daily basis. Those trains will continue as normal from Monday (17), Deputy General Manager (Transport) A.D.G. Seneviratne said.
Several special office trains, however, will be in operation across provinces, Mr Seneviratne added.
These special trains will only stop at main train stations and will avoid all sub stations.
Morning –
1. Office train from Kandy to Colombo Fort – (Departure 5 a.m.)
2. Office train from Mahawa to Colombo Fort – (Departure 4. 45 a.m. )
3. Office train from Chilaw to Colombo Fort – (Departure 5.50 a m )
4. Special train from Bolawaththa to Puttalam – (Departure 7 a.m.)
5. Office train from Beliatta to Maradana – (Departure 4. 30 a.m.)
Evening –
1. Office train from Colombo Fort to Kandy – (Departure 17.45 p.m.)
2. Office train from Colombo Fort to Mahawa – (Departure 18.00 p.m.)
3. Office train from Colombo Fort to Halawatha – (Departure 17.18 p.m.)
4. Special train from Puttalam to Bolawatta – (Departure 16.00 p.m.)
5. Office train from Maradana to Beliatta – (Departure 16.40 p.m.)
Those who wish to travel on these trains must present their Office ID and a signed permission letter from their company.
The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) will operate buses as normal across districts within the respective provinces during the non-travel restriction period, subjected to health guidelines. Nevertheless, SLTB depot managers have been given permission to deploy enough buses to transport essential office workers across provinces, SLTB Chairman Kingsley Ranawaka said.
“We have many office workers travelling to Colombo from places such as Galle, Matara and Kandy. We are making arrangements to provide transport for them. I can’t give an estimate on how many buses will be deployed for the purpose as individual depot managers have been given authority to decide for themselves on how many buses they should use,” Mr Ranawaka noted. He added that police would check buses at provincial borders to see whether the commuters have documentation to show they have been asked to attend office.
While buses can travel through isolated areas, they will not pick up or drop off any passengers in such areas.
Department of Excise
The Department of Excise is facing a severe challenge as more than 30 of its officers have been infected with COVID-19 while some others have been placed in quarantine. Nevertheless, the Department’s 24-hour operations centre continues to function and Departmental activities will be conducted using minimum staff, Spokesperson Kapila Kumarasinghe stated.
He said the department will continue to function according to guidelines issued by health authorities. “The situation can change depending on new guidelines they issue, but the Commissioner General of Excise has introduced a mechanism whereby we can discuss the situation quickly depending on any new health guidelines, draft new regulations and convey them to all stakeholders in this sector,” he stressed.