Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake has been mislead by parties with vested interests, said Chairman of the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) Gemunu Wijeratne commenting on the budget proposal to increase the minimum traffic fine to Rs. 2,500.
¨At tomorrow’s meeting we will point out our concerns to the Minister and make several proposals to him on the best way to revise the current fines,¨ he said, adding that while fines should be increased it should be done in a fair manner. According to Wijeratne the proposal should not have been put forward in the budget and instead should have been taken up separately having consulted all stakeholders.
The meeting will be attended by the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA), All Island Three Wheel Owners Association (AITWOA), All Island School Children Transport Association (AISCTA) as well as several other transport unions along with officials from the Ministry of Transport and Sri Lanka Police as requested by the unions. According to Chairman of the LPBOA, revision of the fines should be done by examining the current road infrastructure, accidents statistics and other related issues. ¨It cannot be done in an ad hoc manner and that is why we requested a meeting,¨ he said.
The proposal to increase the current minimum traffic fine from Rs. 20 to Rs. 2,500 drew a barrage of criticism from Public Transport Unions with threats to strike, despite it having widespread public support.
The Minister has promised to revise the fines only for the most serious offences such as driving without a valid licence, driving under the age of 18 and drunk driving. .