16 August 2022 10:13 am Views - 5192
The Department of Motor Traffic has sought approval to amend all its charges including the driving license and vehicle transfers in the near future amidst a growing trend of people applying for their driver’s license for foreign employment.
The department has recently received the ministerial approval to amend charges for all its services, which will be gazetted soon, the sources said.
Commissioner of Driving License (Werahera Head Office) Wasantha N. Ariyarathna told the Daily Mirror yesterday the amendments for the charges are coming after 13 years since the final amendment was made in 2009.
He said the approval by the newly appointed Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardena had been received and the amendments were sent to the Treasury.
“Compared to the rates and charges for the services offered by many other government departments, the fees for our services are very low like Rs.1, 700 for a new driving license and only Rs.250 for a penalty per annum for not renewing your driver’s license,” the Commissioner said.
He said since March, owing to the dollar crunch the department is issuing the regular printed driving license card only for those who seek foreign employment and that too with the proof of migration like the visa on passport and reserved air ticket.
“For all the rest of the applicants including for renewals, we are endorsing a temporary permit on paper, which is valid for one year until we are planning to issue them with cards when new stocks are received from Austria, depending on the dollar availability,” Mr. Ariyarathna said.
The usual plastic license card had been issued to over 60, 000 applicants who were seeking foreign employment since March this year from the DMT Driving License head office in Werahera and eight other district offices in Anuradhapura, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kurunegala and Monaragala, he further said. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)