The Hon. (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasena - Acting Minister of Transport and Highways
The Acting Minister of Transport and Highways said drug use among bus drivers and conductors is part of a wider national drug problem rather than an issue limited to long-distance buses. He stated that the Ministry, through the National Transport Medical Institute and with support from the Ministry of Health, plans to introduce on-the-spot testing to help reduce drug use in the bus sector as part of broader national eradication efforts.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the drug menace is not confined to long-distance buses. We all understand the national context. We are focusing on drug use among long-distance and other bus drivers and conductors. Under our Ministry, the National Transport Medical Institute (NTMI) operates. With assistance from the Ministry of Health, we are planning on-the-spot testing through NTMI. We intend to implement this and, along with national efforts to eradicate drugs, reduce drug use in buses. This cannot be solved by isolating one location; it is a nationwide issue. Tackling it nationally will enable us to minimize drug use in buses.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 24 October 2025 ·No. 22644 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasena - Acting Minister of Transport and Highways. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 24 October 2025. No. 22644. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/28749