The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake – Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation
The Minister said vehicle emissions are a major contributor to declining air quality in Colombo and other urban areas, particularly due to weaknesses in public transport, and argued that emissions testing remains necessary despite operational shortcomings. He noted that the relevant Trust funds are also used for roadside emissions checks, air quality monitoring, tree planting, and traffic-signal countdown systems. He acknowledged weaknesses in contracts and supervision that allowed improper issuance of certificates, and stated that a stronger and more transparent system is planned after the current agreement expires on 31 December 2026.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, air quality drops significantly in Colombo and other identified urban centers, with vehicles a main cause, exacerbated by an underdeveloped public transport system. Emissions testing via this fund is essential. Operational errors do not negate the purpose. We also carry out surprise roadside tests, monitor ambient air quality, and implement related measures like tree planting and traffic-signal countdown systems using Trust funds. We acknowledge contract weaknesses and lack of adequate supervision have enabled some to obtain certificates improperly. The current agreement lapses on 31 December 2026; we intend to introduce a stronger, more transparent and practical system thereafter.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Thursday, 21 August 2025 ·No. 1757391500023637 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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- not yet extracted — page/column anchors are not in the current dataset; the source PDF is the citable location.
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/lk/speeches/22585
Cite as: The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake – Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 21 August 2025. No. 1757391500023637. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/22585