Programs to mark SLTB's 50th anniversary

by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi

The 50th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) falls this month. Minister of Transport Dullas Alahapperuma said that several programs to strengthen the SLTB will be launched to mark the occasion. With the nationalisation of omni bus service in Sri Lanka began a new era," he said.

A ceremony will be held at the BMICH on January 22 to felicitate senior SLTB employees. Trade unionists, media personnel, the SLTB employees who rendered yeoman service to the SLTB will be honoured. A scholarship program for SLTB employees' children will also be launched at the ceremony.

Among the activities planned to mark the anniversary celebrations a state of the art workshop to assemble and repair buses will be opened at Kahagolla, Bandarewela.

The fleet of buses will be increased to 5,300 before January 22. Fifty bus routes will be introduced for the convenience of rural commuters. The buses for the new routes will be provided to the depots at the ceremony.