It is with much pleasure and responsibility I assumed duties as the President of the Association of Container Transporters when I was elected at the 34th AGM which was held at Hotel Galadari on the 6th of March 2020, with the participation of the Chairmen SLPA Rtd.General Daya Ratnayake as the Chief Guest and Rtd.General Ravipriya DGC.Customs as the Guest of Honor together with stake holders and other Associations. Let me briefly introduce my self,I am in the Haulage Industry for the past 20 yrs, and serving in the ACT Committee for the past 10yrs. As a President my main objective is to fulfill the needs and grievances of our members at all times. My prime objective is to educate the new entrepreneurs by way of organizing work shops and seminars in relation to our Industry. We are looking forward with the Govt.development projects that are underway such as the flyover paralleled to the old Kelani Bridge that connects to Katunayake Highway and from the other direction it extends up to Rajagiriya, and the Elivator Bridge which connects to the Habour will certainly help the Industry with less Traffic. The Customs are planning with installing Scanning Machines and to go paperless as per documentation work that will enhance the productivity and the turnaround time of the vehicles. Looking back at our Industry the members are finding difficult to sustain in the Industry due to the high cost of expenditure. We are hoping that the Chairman SLPA will give us a redress in the high cost of Port Entry Permits which were increased by 2000% in year 2015,and also the leaseing companies of considering a grace period by relaxing their conditions to help the Transporter to remain in the Industry. What ever the consequences are I expect the newly elected committee and the members to assist me in building up this trade in the future. Your support is my strength.
