Shortage of tires cripple Jaffna transport services

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 March 2008, 03:43 GMT]
Transport services run by Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) in Jaffna peninsula may stall completely if the acute shortage of tires continues without timely replenishment, SLTB officials in Jaffna peninsula said wednesday. Though request for spares had been made to the relevant authorities in Colombo two months ago nothing has been done to meet the urgent requirements, they added.

Already, some of the buses in the three SLTB depots in Koa’ndaavil, Point Pedro and Karainakar in the peninsula remain out of service due to tire shortage.

Bus services to important places in the peninsula plying on key routes are being gradually suspended as tires of several buses have become unusable..

A similar situation arose when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) closure of A9 land route to Jaffna but publicity by media organizations forced the authorities in Colombo to ship a limited consignment of spares to Jaffna peninsula, the sources added.

The spares that arrived, however, were insufficient to meet the needs and hence the present shortage of tires, Jaffna SLTB officials said.

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