Sri Lanka is facing a major backlog in the issuance of driving licence cards and vehicle registration number plates, with more than 1.6 million items pending, a Parliamentary committee has been informed.

The issue was raised during a recent meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways and Urban Development, chaired by Minister Bimal Rathnayake.

Officials revealed that approximately 673,000 driving licence cards remain pending due to shortages of printing equipment and blank cards.

Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, retired Air Vice Marshal Thushara Indunil Fernando, said the existing stock of one million ordered cards is expected to be exhausted by January 2027.

Although a new contract has been awarded for the supply of two million cards, the first shipment is expected only by the end of March 2027.

To address the anticipated shortage, officials are proposing to obtain Cabinet approval to purchase an additional 500,000 cards from the existing supplier.

The commissioner general expressed confidence that the driving licence card backlog could be fully cleared by the middle of 2027.

Meanwhile, the committee was informed that approximately 958,651 vehicle registration number plates remain pending from applications accumulated between Jan. 1, 2025, and March 9, 2026.

The commissioner general said the number plate backlog could be cleared within seven to eight months if the existing contractor is assigned the necessary production work.

Minister Rathnayake instructed officials to take urgent measures to resolve the delays and improve the efficiency of the issuance process. (Newswire)

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Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake today (10) commended Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for raising concerns about the impacts of the El Niño–La Niña climate phenomenon on Sri Lanka. 

Addressing the Parliament, Rathnayake noted that Premadasa had been drawing attention to the issue for over six months, stressing the importance of continued parliamentary debate on the matter.

“The Opposition Leader had raised concerns over the climate issue ahead of the UN Climate Organization’s confirmation of the current El Nino situation, which was issued on June 02. You had raised the matter nearly six months prior to this warning. We respect it,” he added. 

His remarks come after speaking under Standing Order 27(2), Premadasa urged the government to make the public aware of official forecasts regarding El Niño–La Niña impacts. 

He recalled that on 22 June 2026, the Cabinet appointed a special ministerial sub‑committee and an officials’ committee under the chairmanship of the Minister of Environment to prepare short‑, medium‑ and long‑term plans for managing possible water, electricity and food crises. Premadasa said the Samagi Jana Balawegaya had already warned the country six months earlier that such conditions were developing.

Premadasa pressed for district‑wise data from the Disaster Management Centre and the National Disaster Relief Services Centre on people affected by drought. He insisted that the official forecast presented by the Meteorology Department to the sub‑committee be made public, noting that while some estimates suggest a 63% likelihood of impact, the World Meteorological Organization has indicated the probability could rise to 80%.

He questioned what measures had been taken to protect the public from upcoming disasters, asking for clarity on the expected peak period of El Niño and whether risks extend beyond drought to include floods and landslides during the October–November monsoon. Premadasa called for early warnings and protective measures for vulnerable districts such as Northern, Eastern, Monaragala, Badulla, Ampara, Hambantota and Batticaloa.

Premadasa also raised concerns about the impact of reduced hydropower on consumer electricity bills. He requested data on Mahaweli reservoir water levels, the additional costs of relying on thermal power plants, and the sub‑committee’s assessment of how these factors could affect household bills in the coming months.

On agriculture, Premadasa asked what relief had been given to farmers affected by drought. He sought information on hectares of paddy and other crops damaged, whether compensation and insurance payments had been made, and if seed paddy, fertilizer subsidies and water release plans for the Maha season were adequately coordinated.

Premadasa added that consistent focus on El Niño–La Niña impacts was timely and necessary, and urged the government to respond with transparency and concrete action. (Newswire)

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Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake says plans are underway to issue new number plates with more advanced security features.

Minister Rathnayake further said that the new number plates will be issued by 15 November 2025. 

“We accept there are vehicles operating without number plates now. We are looking at issuing new number plates with advanced security features. We hope to introduce a temporary solution by next week. But the issue of number plates will be resolved by 15th November,” he said. 

Minister Bimal Rathnayake made the remarks while responding to a question raised by opposition MP Mujibur Rahman in Parliament today.  

Responding to a question on the delay in issuing driving licences due to a lack of licence cards, Minister Rathnayake said the backlog has been resolved.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake said a backlog of 900,000 driving licences was resolved by April this year.

He further said that plans are underway to issue driving licences with new features and that they will be distributed in the future. (Newswire)

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