• Legal action against foreign drivers with invalid licences, Police to also crackdown on 3-wheeler owners who rent to foreigners sans valid vehicle type category int’l and temp. local licences  
• Foreigners driving licence fees revised 
• Upcountry rail line maintenance was expected to be completed by last night 

The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has announced that it will not, for the time being, issue driving licences to foreign nationals to drive three-wheelers. The DMT noted that it has no plans to introduce a temporary licence for this purpose.

Meanwhile, instructions have been issued to all Police stations to initiate legal actions against foreign nationals found driving three-wheelers without a valid driving licence, the Police Headquarters stated. The authorities clarified that an international driving licence, on its own, does not entitle a foreigner to drive a three-wheeler in Sri Lanka. 

Temporary three-wheeler driving licences will not be issued to visiting foreign nationals unless their existing driving licence permits them to operate three-wheelers under the relevant category of their driving licence. Accordingly, foreigners who wish to drive three-wheelers under the relevant category in Sri Lanka may obtain a temporary three-wheeler licence from the DMT. 

Moreover, an investigation has been launched into the circumstances under which a New Zealand national who was recently sexually assaulted had been permitted to drive a three-wheeler.

Police Media Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police F.U. Wootler further revealed that reports have emerged indicating that certain local three-wheeler owners are renting their vehicles to foreign nationals who don’t hold valid driving licences. He stated that legal action will also be taken against such individuals.

Also, the Government has taken steps to revise the fees levied to issue driving licences to foreign nationals. The relevant gazette notification has been issued by the Transport and Highways Minister Bimal Rathnayake. Accordingly, the fee previously charged – Rs. 2,000 – for issuing a temporary one-month driving licence to a foreign national has been increased to Rs. 15,000. The fee for issuing a driving licence valid for more than one month and up to two months has been increased to Rs. 21,000, for more than two months and up to six months is Rs. 30,000, and for more than six months and up to 12 months is Rs. 45,000. 

Additionally, the fee for renewing a foreign national’s driving licence has been set at Rs. 15,000 while the fee for issuing a duplicate licence in case the original is lost or damaged is also Rs. 15,000. Moreover, for a Sri Lankan citizen holding a driving licence issued outside Sri Lanka, or an equivalent licence, the fee for issuing a new Sri Lankan driving licence has been increased from Rs. 3,300 to Rs. 30,000. For a foreign national holding a driving licence issued outside Sri Lanka, or an equivalent licence, the fee for issuing a new licence has been increased from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 60,000, according to the Transport and Highways Ministry.

Elsewhere, train operations on the upcountry railway line continue to be disrupted due to the derailment caused by fallen trees and a landslide between the Idalgashinna and Ohiya Railway Stations, the Railways Department stated. Rathnayake mentioned that maintenance work on the upcountry railway line is expected to be completed by yesterday night (20). The night mail train that operated from Badulla to Colombo on Tuesday (18) derailed between the Idalgashinna and Ohiya Railway Stations due to rocks and soil falling onto the track. Although restoration work commenced immediately after the incident, trains operations have yet to return to normalcy.