Govt. committed to provide better passenger service

Thihagoda group correspondent

The Government aims to provide an efficient passenger transport service to commuters. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse initiated action to re-establish the Sri Lanka Transport Board to fulfil that objective, said Southern Provincial Councilor Lakmal Nilantha at a ceremony held at Matara Depot.

The institute's progress depends on its employees. Therefore, the prime duty and the responsibility of all employees would be to work hard to extend a better bus service to the general public, he said.

Southern Provincial Councillor Sisira Kumara addressing the employees said, most of the long distance bus services were curtailed and even bus service at night was not operated as scheduled. People were inconvenienced. Drivers and conductors could increase the income by providing a better service to the commuters. During the good old days of the CTB, specially drivers and conductors were given a proper training, he added.

H. A. Piyadasa, SLTB Matara Depot Manager, said CTB reached the highest pinnacle of success under the Chairmanship of Anil Munasinghe but it began to collapse under the UNP administrations.

The bus services began to deteriorate after the SLTB was decentralised. 18 buses of the Matara Depot were destroyed by the tsunami. The total cost of damage was in the region of Rs. 15 million. Bus operation was paralysed under these circumstances, he added. Southern Provincial Councillor Nilanga Hendavitana, Matara Municipal Council Opposition leader Upul Nishantha, Managing Director of the RBC B. Kodituwakku, Assistant Depot Manager C. Munaweera also spoke.