Road Maintenance Fund mooted

President Ranil Wickremesinghe

The Government yesterday proposed a Road Maintenance Fund to be partly contributed by motorists.

Presenting the 2023 Budget President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said maintenance of the country’s road system is costly whereas the amount of provisions that can be allocated from the budget annually for this purpose is limited.

He proposed to establish a Road Maintenance Fund by charging an annual fee not less than Rs. 100 per vehicle when obtaining revenue licenses. The fund is expected to provide for road maintenance annually. “To set up the fund, I propose to allocate Rs. 100 million in the 2023 Budget. Ministry of Highways will establish a mechanism for this purpose.”