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As peace dawns under the new Government, the transport sector too should be developed to serve the ordinary masses throughout the country, said Transport State Minister Piyasoma Upali.

Minister Upali said the private sector bus manufacturers can play a vital role in this regard and the Wesco bus company has already taken steps towards assisting this national effort.

After inspecting the SLTB workshops at Kahagolla and Keppetipola last week, Minister Upali said that no country can be developed without a proper transport network. So the government is determined to develop both the highway system and the public transport sector under its development agenda.

Over 3000 buses which needed immediate repairs are idling at SLTB depots throughout the country. The Government will repair all these buses as the first step in this transport development plan, the Minister said.

He said his Ministry officials will meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Treasury authorities next week to discuss this matter and obtain more allocations for the development of the transport sector.

Minister Upali said that a large sum of money has been spent to import buses in the past but steps have not been taken to introduce a better service at lesser cost. "Now a leading bus assembling company, LATEC has come forward to shoulder this difficult task", Minister Upali said.

He said that the local bus manufacturing industry had been severely affected as completed buses were imported thereby draining away vital foreign exchange. We should be more mindful before importing buses once we are competent to produce them locally. Priority should be given to local resources, manpower, and available technology if a country wants to develop its industries, he said.

Minister Upali said that every bus depot throughout the country now can obtain the services of the LATEC, get their buses which are idling at garages repaired and reuse them on the road to improve the transport service.

Badulla District MP Upali Samaraweera and LATEC Managing Director Ravi Wethasinghe also participated.

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