Project of Improving Public Transport and Bus Services is being implemented with ups and downs owing to bureaucratic bungling and unnecessary delays in the implementation process, government audit query highlighted.
For the aforesaid project, sums totalling Rs.713.83 million comprising Rs.104.04 million by the end of the year 2017 and Rs.609.79 million in the year 2018 had been spent, audit inspection discovered.
A sum of Rs.346.93 million had been spent for the implementation of an introductory programme on priority bus lane for the improvement of public transport service.
But this programme had not been implemented by October 2019. Hence, the expenditure incurred thereon had become fruitless, the report revealed.
Multi-modal passenger terminals will be implemented in Kandy, Kadawatha, Pettah, and Moratuwa while Makandura passenger terminal is now operational.
A sum of Rs. 13.5 billion has been allocated for public investment in railways lines across the country including the Colombo suburban railway improvement project and the Matara-Kataragama railway line to connect the Southern Province.
The private sector will be encouraged to lease/rent Sri Lanka Railways carriages in order to optimize asset utilization and improve facilities on the 4 main lines.
A billion rupees has also been allocated to improve sanitation facilities in railway and bus stations countrywide as another measure to improve service delivery in public transport.
A joint bus operation control centre will be established to improve public transport services and Rs. 1.3 billion has been allocated for this purpose.
(LI)