Seven public transport drivers and conductors tested positive for dangerous narcotic substances during a random screening operation at the Kadawatha bus stand on Monday (May 12), the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development said.
Around 148 drivers and conductors were tested during the programme, which was launched under the ministry’s Road Safety Plan and implemented under the guidance of Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake.
Medical teams led by Dr. Lionel Muhandiramage of the National Transport Medical Institute conducted the tests using a mobile laboratory bus deployed at the bus stand.
Officials said the initiative is a direct response to rising road accidents and deteriorating discipline on public transport routes. The ministry said its objective is to build a “drug-free and disciplined” public transport workforce.
Drivers and conductors who tested positive will face the maximum disciplinary action under institutional regulations as well as legal proceedings, authorities said.
The Ministry of Transport said the programme will be expanded islandwide with support from Sri Lanka Police and the National Transport Medical Institute. The screening drive forms part of the broader road-safety push announced earlier this year, which is targeting a sharp reduction in Sri Lanka’s annual road deaths — currently above 2,700 — by 2029, and follows other measures including stepped-up seatbelt enforcement during the Avurudu travel rush. The operation also dovetails with the government’s broader anti-narcotics drive under the Rata Ekata operation.
According to the ministry, similar mobile screening operations will be rolled out at other major bus depots across the country in the coming weeks.
