Import ban for passenger coaches not upto standard - Minister

Import of passenger transport coaches not made to required standards will be banned,Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunge said.

Minister Ranatunge said that all passenger transport buses brought to the country must meet the required standards.

Ranatunge made these remarks during a meeting with Mahanayake of Asgiriya Chapter Most.Ven Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thera at the Asgiriya temple yesterday.

The Minister called on the Mahanayake Thera to discuss issues with regard to acquisition of land for the construction of Kurunegala - Habarana railway line.

He said many buses plying on the road have been fitted with lorry chassis.He said standards of SLCTB buses are lower than private buses and a programme will be implemented to bring buses for the both public and private sectors in future. “The SLCTB requires a fleet of 500 buses a year,” he said.