Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said that 2024 will be the golden year in the history of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB).
He was speaking at the inauguration of a project to expand the production capacity of the Ampara Tyre Factory under the SLTB revival programme, which is done with the aim of strengthening new development strategies.
To expand the production capacity of the firm, the foundation stone for a new factory building was laid by the Minister in the presence of invitees.
The building is to be constructed by the State Development and Construction Corporation, at a cost of Rs. 120 million.
The objective is to produce one-third of the annual requirement of retreaded and refilled tyres for the SLTB after the establishment of building facilities and machines with the funds of the SLTB.
The Minister addressing the event said: “Adding new value to the Eastern Province and Ampara district, the long-held hope of expanding the SLTB’s Ampara Tyre Factory is becoming a reality today. I accepted this Ministry at a very challenging time. At that time, 39 depots were unable to pay their employees’ salaries. Theft, fraud, corruption and malpractice were rampant. There was a situation where all decisions were made based on politics.”
“A service that can be profitable for the private sector needs discipline, vision, and a plan to make it profitable in the public sector. Therefore, changing the old tradition of appointing close friends and relatives to the positions, an engineer with in-depth knowledge and experience related to the subject of transportation was appointed to the position of chairman and given the necessary powers to implement the law to the letter. Accordingly, many positive steps have been taken so far,” the Minister said.
“We were able to get 500 new buses under the Indian loan scheme even in a situation where the Government did not get any loan support due to the economic crisis. In addition, due to the dedication of the SLTB staff, another 400 buses which were in dilapidated condition were able to be restored to running condition. In this way, 900 buses, including new buses, have been put into operation this year. It has been possible to save Rs. 300 million in four months by getting tyres that can run longer distances at a lower cost than the private company that supplied tyres to SLTB for a long time,” he said.
“A large number of conductors are suspended daily due to defrauding a large amount of SLTB’s income. In order to control this ongoing irregularity, necessary arrangements are currently being made to change the issuing of tickets to digital or QR methods in the coming year. I believe that through the e-ticketing system without money transfer, it will be possible to make SLTB profitable in the next year,” the Minister said.
“In the next year, 200 electric buses will start running in the Western Province. The SLTB which has a proud history, will complete 66 years in January. It is the responsibility of all of us to work together to make the 66th year a golden year in the history of the SLTB,” he said.
“We must all work together to rebuild the fallen country. The benefits of the development projects carried out in the area should belong to the people of the area. As the Minister, I have never interfered in any way in this regard. Our aim for this factory is to produce the tyres the SLTB needs at a lower cost,” the Minister said.
Eastern Province Governor Senthil Thondaman, Ampara District Development Committee Chairman, Member of Parliament D. Weerasinghe, SLTB Chairman Lalith De Alwis and State Development and Construction Corporation Chairman Kushan Devinda, attended the event.
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