|
|
|
| Sunday, 21 August 2005 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Buses, spares to boost flagging SLCTB by Ananda Kannangara The first phase of strengthening the eleven cluster bus companies will be initiated by the Sri Lanka Central Transport Board (SLCTB) with 2,000 new buses, scheduled to be imported from India before the end of the year. Two leading Indian bus manufacturers, Tata and the Ashok Leyland have already signed an agreement with the SLCTB in this regard and the first consignment of 600 will arrive at Colombo Port by the middle of next month. Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Deputy Transport Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna on Friday said that the present fleet of 3,000 buses that the eleven cluster bus companies own, were not sufficient to meet the day-to-day requirements of increase in number of passengers. "Our objective is to strengthen the transport sector by adding this 2,000 to the present fleet thus deploying a record 5,000 buses on the roads including the North and East," he said. The Minister also said that a further shipment of 200 buses, gifted by the Government of Japan to the SLCTB will arrive within the next fortnight.The eleven cluster bus companies are the Colombo Metropolitan, Gampaha, Sabaragamuwa, Ruhunu, Nuwara Eliya, Uthura, Wayamba, Rajarata, Uva, Kalutara and the Mahanuwara bus companies. The administration of bus depots in the North and East come under the supervision of the SLCTB. Minister Alagiyawanna was shocked to read the news item, which appeared in last week's edition of the Sunday Observer that highlighted 800 buses, owned by the Metropolitan Bus Company (MBC) were exposed to the elements at various depots due to lack of spare parts. Action will be taken based on the news item, a full list of required spare parts will be prepared and measures will be taken to import them from India at the earliest. He was also highly taken up with the income of cluster bus companies during the private bus strike last Tuesday which went up by 80 per cent. "Deploying more and more buses on the roads in future will not only help passengers faced with wild cat strikes by the private bus operators, but also the cluster companies to increase their daily income," he said. He said that available statistics indicate that Tuesday's private bus strike brought in a record revenue of Rs. 5.7 million to the coffers of the Colombo Metropolitan Bus Company (MBC) on a single given day. Meanwhile a senior SLCTB official told the Sunday Observer that not a single new bus was added to the present fleet after the year 2000 and this will be the first occasion that the high command have focused attention on the import of new buses and spare parts. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
