Registration of new motorcycles will begin at five district offices from 19 October, Commissioner General of Motor Traffic retired Air Vice Marshal Thushara Fernando said.
The service will be available at the Jaffna, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Gampaha offices, the Daily Mirror reported.
The service will be introduced at the five locations after the relevant officials have been given the necessary orientation, Fernando said. The move is aimed at widening access to motorcycle registration through district-level offices, NewsFirst reported.
A difference in how the offices are described
The two newsrooms describe the locations differently. The Daily Mirror calls them District Offices; NewsFirst calls them District Secretariats. Both name the same five districts and the same start date, so this appears to be a difference in rendering rather than two sets of locations — but neither filing specifies whether the counters will sit inside the District Secretariat buildings or at separate Department of Motor Traffic district offices.
NewsFirst gives the Commissioner General’s name in full as Thushara Indunil Fernando.
Context
Fernando was appointed Commissioner General of Motor Traffic in August. The department has been under scrutiny over registration processes: CIABOC has pursued a former DMT officer over vehicle registration, and police in August uncovered forged vehicle registration documents at Narahenpita.
Not reported
Neither filing says where new motorcycles are currently registered, or whether this decentralisation replaces an existing route or adds to it. Neither gives the expected volume of registrations at the five offices, says why these five districts were chosen, or indicates whether further offices will follow.
Neither states whether the service covers only new motorcycles or also transfers and re-registrations, and neither gives opening hours, fees, or the documents applicants will need.
Sources: NewsFirst, Daily Mirror.
