Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Bimal Rathnayake says decades of corruption within the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) played a major role in creating the country’s driving licence issuance crisis, while insisting the backlog is now being cleared.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday (09), Rathnayake said the DMT had long been plagued by fraud, irregularities and entrenched corrupt networks that had undermined public services and damaged the institution’s reputation.
“We know very well that the Department of Motor Traffic is an institution that has suffered from massive corruption,” he said. “Former commissioners, deputy commissioners and several other officials have been arrested. Various forms of fraud and corruption are still being uncovered.”
The minister said a small group of corrupt officials had created a negative image for the department, despite the efforts of many honest public servants.
“I feel sorry for the officers who are working honestly. The dark image created around this department has become a major obstacle for them,” Rathnayake said. “There are still remnants of the old corrupt network within the institution.”
He alleged that driving licence-related contracts had been awarded to the same company for more than two decades, creating opportunities for corruption and inefficiency.
“When we came into office, people were standing in queues because licences could not be issued. We inherited a country where obtaining a driving licence had become a major problem,” he said.
Rathnayake said the government subsequently awarded the contract to a new company through a tender process and began addressing the large backlog of pending licences.
“We carefully transferred the contract through a legal tender process to a new company, cleared a backlog of about 450,000 driving licences and have now resumed issuing licences to the public,” he said.
The minister also claimed that some individuals within the department had continued to obstruct reforms by slowing the distribution process.
“I recently discovered that although around 150,000 driving licences could have been posted to applicants, only about 33,000 were dispatched last month,” he said. “There are still attempts to create the impression that nothing works once the corrupt elements are removed.”
Rathnayake said he had instructed the Additional Secretary to investigate those responsible for delays in issuing licences.
“Driving licences were delayed, but we have now started issuing them. I have asked for an investigation into those who caused these delays,” he added.
The minister said the government would continue efforts to eliminate corruption within the DMT while strengthening public services through the support of capable and honest officials. (Newswire)
