TISL says Rs. 140 m incurred by SLTB for presidential poll work
Wednesday, 21 January 2015 01:07
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Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) said yesterday that based on credible information, Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) was facing an estimated loss of a staggering Rs. 140 million due to providing buses for the transportation of the general public to the rallies and meetings organised by the UPFA presidential candidate former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the recently-concluded presidential election.
TISL has already written to the newly-appointed Minister of Internal Transportation Ranjith Maddumabandara about this issue requesting him to obtain the due payments from the relevant parties urgently.
The SLTB currently has an operational fleet of 4,600 buses and TISL has evidence that 2,400, i.e. half of this fleet, was used for transportation purposes during the presidential election campaign. On an average 500 to 600 buses were used to transport public to political meetings and on a few occasions as many as 1,200 buses were used.
This arbitrary use of SLTB buses meant that the SLTB incurred a daily loss between Rs. 6 to 8 million as was verified by SLTB depot heads. This amounts to a total estimated loss of Rs. 140 million of which only Rs. 25 million has been recovered by the SLTB.
“Transparency International Sri Lanka wrote to the former Secretary to the Ministry of Transportation Dhammika Perera a number of times about this matter, to no avail. However, due to the massive amount due to the SLTB and the serious nature of the misuse of public resources, TISL insists that the payments due be obtained from the relevant parties immediately,” TISL said in its statement.
