Lack of spares threatens bus service in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2007, 13:04 GMT]
The public transport service run by the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) will come to a halt by the end of February if tyres and other spare parts to maintain a fleet of 66 buses do not arrive in the next few days, said Northern Region Commissioner of Transport services, S Kanesapillai Friday.

Currently 44 buses are scheduled for daily service from Jaffna bus depot, 13 from Point Pedro depot and 9 from Karainagar depot. The buses provide necessary and critical service to school children and public sector employees, according to the Commissioner.

Further, many buses from the normal fleet have been commandeered by the Sri Lanka military for the transport of armed services, according to civil sources.

Lack of spares will reduce the normal fleet to about 13 from next week, according to Mr Kanesapillai. Only 8 buses from Jaffna depot, 3 from Point Pedro and 2 from Karainagar will be able to operate starting next week.

Complaints and urgent appeals to the Ministry of Transportation in Colombo has not produced desired results, officials of the Transport union in Jaffna said.

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