March 28, Colombo (LNW): Dr Bandura Dileepa Vitharana, Chairman of the National Transport Commission (NTC), has officially stepped down from his position, submitting his resignation to the Ministry of Transport today.
His sudden departure adds to a growing wave of resignations from key institutions within the transport sector.
Dr Vitharana, a well-respected academic and a lecturer at the Open University of Sri Lanka in Nawala, had previously served as the head of the Transport Committee for the National People’s Power (NPP).
His tenure at the NTC was marked by efforts to improve regulatory oversight in public transport, but the reasons for his resignation remain unclear.
Notably, Vitharana is the third high-ranking official to resign from a transport-related institution under the purview of Minister Bimal Rathnayake. Earlier, Ramal Siriwardana, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), and Ruwan Wijayamuni, Chairman of the National Transport Medical Institute (NMTI), also stepped down from their respective posts.
The successive resignations have raised concerns about stability within the sector, prompting speculation about underlying issues that may be driving these departures.
Whilst the Ministry of Transport has yet to comment on the matter, insiders suggest that internal policy disagreements or administrative challenges could be contributing factors.
The resignations come at a time when Sri Lanka’s transport sector is facing increasing public scrutiny over service inefficiencies, fare regulations, and the need for modernisation.
