Station Masters collecting lease rents to get five percent – Minister

Transport, Highways and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana said in Parliament yesterday that the responsibility to collect lease rents from land owned by the Railways Department located within two kilometers from the particular railway station will be vested with Station Masters. He said that he has informed that five percent of such revenue

will be paid as an incentive to the Station Masters who collect lease rents. 

   The Minister stated this while answering a question raised by SJB MP Ashok Abeysinghe. He said that since a Department cannot make commercial decisions, we have decided to turn this Department into an authority.

The institution can be turned into a profitable institution by restructuring the Railway Department and turning it into an authority, He said that instead of a current General Manager at the Department, a board of directors system can be established, and efficient and profitable public transport can be made available to the people once the institution turned into the Authority.

There are 160 major railway stations, 147 sub-main railway stations, and 69 railway stations. Some railway stations are being renovated with the help of the private sector. A public notice was published in all three media to invite local or foreign investors who can use the land owned by railway stations and railways in Sri Lanka more effectively and efficiently. We invite them to come forward for agriculture, tourist hotels, and other modernization projects. We appointed a committee for this. The committee will accept the proposals and make suggestions and submit them to the cabinet for selection.