LAUGFS Eco Sri opens 86th Fixed Testing Centre

LAUGFS Eco Sri Ltd. recently opened its 86th Fixed Vehicle Emission Testing (VET) centre in Balangoda, bringing convenient access to Vehicle Emission Testing facilities for the motorists in Balangoda and surrounding localities. This is the fifth new centre to open this year, as Eco Sri embarks on a rapid expansion strategy to provide easy accessibility to Vehicle Emission Testing, mandatory for the annual renewal of revenue licenses.

Eco Sri, a pioneer in air quality management, opened Sri Lanka’s first ever Vehicle Emission Testing Centre in Gampaha in 2008. Today, it operates an expansive network of 86 fixed testing centres and over 25 mobile testing units serving over 150 mobile locations throughout the country. New centres launched this year include Beruwala, Ambalangoda, Kurunegala, Nikaweratiya and Balangoda, commissioned with the approval of Department of Motor Traffic of Sri Lanka. 

The new locations were selected on the basis of distance the motorists in the locality have to travel to access a VET centre or as a measure of increasing capacity for catering to the VE testing requirements in the area. The Vehicle Emission Testing program in Sri Lanka is implemented and monitored by the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) in collaboration with Air Resource Management Centre (AirMAC) and the Ministry of Environment.

“Vehicle emission testing helps keep the vehicle emission levels under control by prompting vehicle owners to maintain their vehicles in optimal performance conditions. This not only helps maintain acceptable standards of emissions but also improves the fuel efficiency of the vehicle,” stated LAUGFS Eco Sri CEO Damayantha Dharmasiriwardhane, explaining some of the benefits of the Vehicle Emission Testing program. 

VET also brings social and environmental benefits of clean air, which has a long-term impact on our country. Air pollution is one of the most serious global issues that confronts humanity. Depletion of the protective Ozone layer resulting from man-made air pollution allows deadly disease-causing rays to come through the atmosphere directly on to our skins. Other adverse environmental consequences involve acid rains and smog covered atmosphere. The majority of such air pollution is caused by vehicular emissions. Increasing vehicle use in metropolitan areas contributes to air pollution, which poses a risk to public health. 

There is already a high incidence of respiratory diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Sri Lanka caused by air pollution, particularly among the youth. The Vehicle Emission Testing program keeps the levels of vehicle emission under control, through a regulatory compliance mechanism which generates a number of social benefits such as better air quality, mitigated respiratory health hazards and environmental preservation. 

“The economic benefits of fuel efficiency resulting from a well maintained vehicle leads to reduced fuel consumption. This has both micro and macro benefits to the motorist as well as the entire economy, as Sri Lanka depends entirely on imports for its fuel supply, and fuel savings amounts to savings on outward foreign exchange,” added Dharmasiriwardhane, elaborating further on the benefits of Vehicle Emission testing for the country. 

LAUGFS Eco Sri Ltd. is part of LAUGFS Gas PLC, a diversified Sri Lankan conglomerate listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange. Incorporated in 2005, Eco Sri is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company and operates under BOI status for the purpose of issuance of Vehicle Emission Testing (VET) certifications. LAUGFS Eco Sri is a pioneer in air quality management and has been offering Vehicle Emission testing certifications since 2008.