|
|
 |
| Sunday, 28 April 2002 |
 |
|
 |
News |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Red tape bar to A9 bus travel by S. Selvakumar The Private Bus Owners' Association is blaming the bureaucracy and some political interests as the stumbling block in operating the Colombo - Jaffna bus service along the A9 highway for the convenience of commuters. A delegation of private bus owners' association from Colombo visited Kilinochchi last Wednesday and had wide ranging discussions with Sudha Master, a high ranking Tiger cadre assigned by the LTTE to look into the impediments on road transport that is yet to be sorted out. Though the Kandy-Jaffna A9 highway is now open for public transport, yet private bus transport along this road to Jaffna has not come into operation. A spokesman for the private bus owners' association based in Colombo said yesterday that the same delegation that visited Kilinochchi Wednesday would hold a further round of talks with the LTTE in Vanni next week. Sudha Master who met the delegation last week undertook to convey the delegation's concerns to the Tiger high command and would express the latter's views when the delegation meets with him next week. The transport authorities are yet to give the green light for private operators to go ahead and the necessary route permits have not yet been issued. He also said the Tiger cadres led by Sudha Master was very co-operative and was optimistic that they would come out with a favourable reply when they meet again next week. Jaffna based private bus association representatives are also expected to join the Colombo based delegation at next week's meeting. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's office has also requested the Private Bus Owners' Association to submit a report to them on the progress made so far in this regard. On the question of taxes to be paid to the LTTE in operating the service between Omanthai and Muhamalai, the Tiger held territory, the spokesman said that they were prepared to pay it. He explained that this practice of paying taxes was in vogue in other parts of the country, too. He further said if a Western Province based private bus took paid passengers to the Southern Province it had to pay a tax to the Southern Province authorities and vice-versa. "This is not extortion" he emphasised. Meanwhile, commuters to and from between Colombo and Jaffna are still undergoing great hardships due to lack of road transport. Either they have to depend on air travel from Colombo or by sea from Trincomalee. A Lankapuvath report said: "Talks on the re-starting of the Jaffna-Colombo bus service will resume on May 1, between the LTTE representatives and the Private Bus Owners' Association. The officials of the bus operators' association said that they will definitely come to a conclusion regarding the manner in which the Colombo-Jaffna bus service is to be operated". With the launching of the private bus service, the president of the Private Bus Operators Association Gemunu Wijeratne, said: "A limited number of buses will be operated on the A-9 highway during the initial stages. The number of buses to be operated on the highway will be decided in consultation with both parties. Around 10 to 15 buses will be operated during this period." |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
