• SLTB, NTC, and Transport and Highways Min. to implement same urgently 

The Ministry of Transport, Highways, and Civil Aviation stated yesterday (24) that recommendations contained in reports relating to recent bus accidents will be implemented without delay.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Secretary to the Ministry Prof. Kapila Perera said that the relevant institutions would be instructed to act on implementing the recommendations. 

“Institutions such as the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and the National Transport Commission (NTC) will implement the recommendations that fall under their responsibilities. If there is anything that has to be done from the Ministry’s end, we will implement them without delay,” he said.

The announcement followed the handing over of the full report on the 4 September Ella-Wellawaya accident, which killed 16 people, to the Minister of Transport, Highways, and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake. The report found that the bus was driven by a 22-year-old making his first trip on a challenging route. Investigators noted inadequate road signage, poor vehicle maintenance including faulty brakes, and the driver’s unfamiliarity with the road as key factors that led to the crash.

A separate report into the Gerandi Ella, Ramboda accident earlier this year concluded that driver fatigue was the main cause, with the driver having been on duty for more than 13 hours before the bus veered off the road. The committee ruled out technical faults, adverse weather, or substance use. It also found that the bus had not been approved by the NTC to operate as an inter-provincial night service, and recommended legal action against the SLTB and the Kataragama Depot Superintendent. 

The report further said that lapses in road safety infrastructure pointed to negligence by the Road Development Authority, and hence recommended consulting the Attorney General on possible legal steps.