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Govt will minimise nepotism, corruption in transport sector

by Rajmi Manatunga

The Government will take swift steps to incorporate pragmatism into the national transport sector and minimise nepotism and corruption in the state management of passenger transport, Transport and Highways Minister Tilak Marapana said.

Addressing the National Transport Day celebrations yesterday, the Minister said that the whole country had to admit that the national transport sector was in a sorry state.

"As in all other State controlled sectors, lethargy is rampant in the area of transport in our country. We always tend to go from one extreme to the other and the sense of pragmatism is absolutely nil. It is high time that we re-look and re-think our plans and find solutions for these problems," he said.

Minister Marapana said that under the immediate project to upgrade the sector, the Government will focus on matters like rearranging the railway and bus time tables to meet with public demand, repair rail tracks and creating a proper system of issuing permits to buses.

Regarding the aviation sector, it has been decided to open the country's skies for new airlines, removing monopolistic provisions in the present agreement between the Government and Emirates and develop the Bandaranaike International Airport.

"We know that privatisation is not the complete answer for the problems. But due to the poor and corrupted State management of the transport sector this step has become necessary," the Minister added.

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