Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena yesterday observed the 80 school busses that were imported by Lanka Ashok Leyland PLC 07-years ago and remain unused.
The imported buses remain at the factory of the company in Panagoda due to delays in approval by the procurement technical committee.
Lanka Ashok Leyland PLC has reportedly agreed to provide the buses at the current market price and under the foreign exchange rate that was effective at the time of importation.
The company has also agreed to allow the buses to be utilized for transportation and for payments to be made within a period of four years.
Stating that the buses are beneficial to the nation, Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that it is regrettable that the procurement technical committee is delaying approval for the purchase due to various reasons.
He further said that the failure to purchase the buses was a great loss for Sri Lanka’s transportation sector over the last 07 years.
The Minister added that necessary measures will be taken to use the buses for the transportation of school children.
Minister Bandula Gunawardena made the statement after undertaking an inspection tour of the buses currently placed at the Lanka Ashok Leyland factory in Panagoda, Homagama. (NewsWire)