It is reported that due to the lack of cards and insufficient infrastructure, the number of driver’s licenses piled up for printing in the Department of Motor Transport has exceeded nine lakh.
Due to the lack of foreign exchange, cards could not be imported to print driver’s licenses a year ago, but later steps were taken to import 10 lakh cards from Austria.
Accordingly five lakh cards with Suhuru chip and five lakh cards with QR code were imported.
It is stated that there are only two printers in proper condition in the Werahera Driver’s License Office of the Motor Transport Department, and the number of cards that can be printed per day is two thousand.
By now all five lakh cards with chip have been printed and the printing of cards with QR code has started from last 16th.
Motor Transport Commissioner General Mr. Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasinghe mentioned that three more printers are to be received this month, and it is expected to print between 6000-7000 driver’s licenses per day from next month.
Thus, he said that it is hoped that the driver’s licenses of all the applicants who are currently piled up will be given in six months.
Also, if the licenses of those currently issued with temporary driving licenses have expired and the driver’s license card has not yet been found, the Department of Motor Transport has further mentioned that their time can be extended from the Werahera office or the district offices.