The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, at the close of this debate, let me briefly respond. As the Deputy Minister outlined, one less-noticed but vital NTC function is providing special services—School and Rural Services—where private buses are not viable. We allocate around Rs. 1.5–2.0 billion annually to subsidize routes in difficult areas. Members should flag localities lacking school or rural services; we plan to improve the reimbursement rates to encourage operators.

¶ 02 Members repeatedly asked for more buses. While not directly tied to this amendment, note that we are repairing 500 SLTB buses for service; about 300 have been refurbished and deployed, funded by government. Previously allocated repair funds were underutilized; we are maximizing them now. Alert us to extremely difficult areas with no alternatives—e.g., in Vavuniya/Mullaitivu, a three-wheeler trip for a blood test can cost Rs. 1,600–2,000 while the test is Rs. 500–600. Projects like School and Rural Services can help.

¶ 03 We also encourage new inter-regional routes that reduce reliance on passing through Colombo or main hubs, subject to viability. Bring proposals; we will issue permits where feasible.

¶ 04 On unsafe level crossings and contract gatekeepers raised by Hon. Gayantha Karunathilaka: with very low allowances, coverage is weak. We aim to secure 431 unsafe crossings with state–private support; it is costly, but we are working on it.

¶ 05 On elephant-train collisions: with the Railways Department, Department of Wildlife Conservation, and Environment Ministry (including Advisor Mr. Ravindra Kariyawasam and team), we conducted extensive fieldwork on the Anuradhapura and Mannar lines. Measures include clearance for visibility, signage, and piloting sensors developed at University of Peradeniya—three test runs done—while working towards scalable production.

¶ 06 On service quality and corruption: we are determined to improve transport services while combating malpractices. A case at the Department of Motor Traffic led to arrests of senior officials; CCTV footage was deleted just before arrests. We will not be intimidated; we will suppress and control such wrongdoing while continuing to serve the public.

¶ 07 I thank Members across the aisle and the NTC leadership and staff for their dedication.