News
Driver licence backlog to be cleared next month
View(s):By Sadisha Saparamadu
New driving licences will be printed with QR codes after cabinet approval is granted, the Motor Traffic Commissioner General, Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasingha said.
He said 500,000 licences had been ordered by the end of the month and these will be distributed next month to clear the backlog. There are 600,000 driving licences yet to be distributed.
Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasingha
The department prioritises giving licence cards to people going overseas. Others receive a temporary paper licence valid for a year. The backlog of licence issuance was the result of the economic crisis, he noted.
As for revised fees for registering drivers and vehicles in the recent interim budget, he said that the last revision was in 2009. Due to the recent economic crisis, the Ministry of Finance has approved the increases.
He said that five offices of the DMT, including the main office, provide online registration. Online registration will be soon available in Galle. The department hopes to implement online registration in the Ampara, Matara, and Puttalam districts, initially. The aim is to implement it island-wide, but has been held back due to the economic meltdown.
Speaking on a new initiative of the DMT to assist tourists who are keen to obtain a Sri Lankan Driving Licence, Mr Weerasingha said a counter has been set up at a international airports in the country. Still, tourists can also convert their foreign driving licences to a Sri Lankan licence at Werahera.
He said the department aims to combine the databases of the four systems of driving licences to issue one licence, though not immediately.
He also said discussions are taking place with the Sri Lankan Embassy in the UK to create a system for a heavy vehicle driving licence to be converted to a UK-accepted one.
On the other hand, the department hopes to implement a new vehicle registration system known as ‘e-motor’, while a system for spot fines and a demerit licence system are being discussed with the police.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!