Around 400 to 500 Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) drivers are currently on disciplinary suspension and some are continuing to receive their salaries, Transport Ministry officials told a Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Friday.
The committee, which met under the chairmanship of Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake, was told that salary payments continue in certain cases because of different legal circumstances and pending court proceedings, Ada Derana reported. It was also revealed that some suspended drivers are reportedly working as drivers on private buses and earning a separate income.
After extensive discussion, the Minister instructed officials to obtain legal advice promptly and reconsider the procedures governing disciplinary actions inside the SLTB. Sub-committee reports on strengthening the legal framework of the transport sector and on improving the railway department’s service delivery were also tabled — as a final report and an interim report, respectively.
The disclosure comes during a difficult fortnight for the SLTB. A Friday-morning collision between an SLTB bus and a private bus at Domabagahawela in Siyambalanduwa left 26 passengers injured, in the second serious bus accident of the week in the Monaragala area. The transport sector is also still working through the Rs.20 million-a-day SLTB conductor fraud disclosure and broader procurement criticism over low-floor bus tenders.
MPs raised additional concerns affecting the transport, highways and urban development sectors during the same meeting, the report said, with the Chair instructing officials to take necessary follow-up actions.
Sources: Ada Derana · NewsFirst.
