The Hon. (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasena

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the answers are as follows.

¶ 02 (a) (1) Yes. (ii) Rs. 28,342,878.39. (iii) Yes. (iv) Royal Constructions (Pvt) Ltd. (v) Sri Lanka Railways, Urban Development Authority, and Western Provincial Road Development Authority. (vi) No. (vii) Yes, the objective has been achieved. Prior to implementation, the platform was at a very low height causing severe inconvenience to passengers. With the platform height raised, passengers can now board trains more easily. Accordingly, the project objective has been achieved.

¶ 03 (b) Not applicable.

¶ 04 Hon. Speaker, regarding a further question: Our country’s rolling stock—power sets and locomotives—are about 40 to 50 years old. Even after repairs, they frequently return for repairs, increasing daily cancellations. As a Government, we have commenced procurement to import five new power sets. The tender process has been initiated and we expect to call tenders before the end of this year. Trains are tailor-made to suit Sri Lanka’s rail gauge and tunnel system; therefore, the design phase takes time. Even if we place the order early next year, delivery of five sets will take roughly two to two-and-a-half years.

¶ 05 Meanwhile, we must sustain services by strengthening human resources and physical resources. On spares, procurements for orders placed in 2022 and 2023 are underway. We are streamlining procurement to be more systematic and faster. We have started various measures, but results come slowly because this is a network spanning departments and institutions. Consequently, achieving our targets as quickly as desired has been difficult.

¶ 06 On the shortage of drivers: The Cabinet paper to recruit staff was approved on the 22nd of last month. We are recruiting 162 drivers. Exams have been held; interviews were conducted yesterday, today and will be tomorrow. We expect to appoint 162 drivers by the end of November. However, merely increasing headcount is not enough; we must manage it properly, and physical resources will also improve only gradually. While we may fill human resource gaps within a year, physical assets take longer. Hence, it remains challenging to provide the service at the desired standard immediately. Nonetheless, recruitment of 162 drivers is in progress, and appointments are expected by end-November.