49 Luxury Buses Imported for CHOGM 2013 Now Idle

By Kelum Bandara   

Forty nine luxury buses imported in view of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) In 2013 and later used for public transportation on the southern expressway now lie idle with Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) due to lack of spare parts to repair them , denying daily revenue of Rs. 80,000-90,000 to the government, Daily Mirror learns .  

The government imported 89 luxury buses to be used for the benefit of delegates who attended the 2013 CHOGM held in Colombo.  
Later , these buses plied on the southern expressway for passenger transportation.  

SLTB Chairman Lalith Alwis told Daily Mirror these buses could not be repaired due to lack of spare parts triggered by import restrictions . However, he said steps had been taken now to import them from China’s Foton Motor group the  manufacturer of the buses.  

He also said a team of technicians had already been sought from the company to speed up the repair process .  

“We have only two technicians with us . We need technicians from the company to speed up work as a result ,” he said.  

Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardane who was in China recently also held talks with the officials of Foton and sought to import a fleet of buses on an easy payment method .  
“They agreed to refer it to the Director Board of the company for approval ,” he said.