- DMT moves to finalise new supplier
The long-delayed contract to manufacture Sri Lanka’s new vehicle number plates is likely to be awarded to South Asian Technologies in the coming week, Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) Commissioner General Kamal Amarasinghe said yesterday (10).
This, as the backlog of unissued plates has pushed beyond 200,000 vehicles.
Amarasinghe told The Sunday Morning that while Cabinet approval had already been secured, the contract had not been formally finalised and awarded yet. He said the process was now nearing completion and official confirmation was expected shortly.
Until then, the department continues to grapple with an unprecedented accumulation of pending number plates across multiple vehicle categories. The backlog, Amarasinghe said, now exceeded 200,000 vehicles, affecting motorcycles, cars, three-wheelers, and a rapidly growing number of electric vehicles.
Officials noted that the situation continued to worsen as the DMT registered hundreds of new vehicles daily, further adding to the volume of vehicles operating on temporary number plates.
The delays have been attributed to a combination of technical and administrative factors linked to the introduction of a new, more secure number plate system. The upgraded plates are designed to incorporate seven enhanced security features intended to improve traceability and prevent fraud.
Of these, six have already been accredited by the University of Moratuwa, while the seventh requires certification from an international laboratory – a step that has yet to be completed and has stalled the full rollout.
Administrative complications have also played a central role. The Government’s decision to end a 25-year monopoly in the manufacture of number plates and move towards a new procurement framework has led to prolonged delays.
Officials acknowledged that appeals and objections from unsuccessful bidders, including Access International, contributed to extended reviews and slowed the awarding of the contract.
Amarasinghe said that once the contract was formally awarded, the selected manufacturer would be granted up to three months to establish operations and deliver the first batch of number plates.
“We allow a maximum of three months for setup, but it depends on the manufacturer’s capability. The specifics will be discussed after the contract is signed,” he said.
In the interim, the DMT continues to permit the use of temporary number plates for newly registered vehicles. However, Amarasinghe indicated that additional stopgap measures were still under consideration.
“There are discussions with some companies, and there is a Cabinet decision regarding this issue, but nothing has been finalised yet. We are trying to arrange a solution,” he said.
He cautioned that even after production began under the new supplier, clearing the existing backlog would take time due to the scale of pending requests and the continued inflow of new vehicle registrations.