A special inspection conducted by the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) on the Hatton–Kandy main road yesterday (June 19).

During the inspection, 44 vehicles including 15 Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and private buses have been temporarily taken off the roads due to various defects and safety concerns.

The inspection, carried out in the Bagatholuwa area, involved emergency checks on 115 vehicles to ensure safer public transport and reduce road accidents.

Vehicles with excessive emissions or mechanical faults deemed unfit for road use were taken off the road, while unauthorized and hazardous equipment, especially in buses, was ordered to be removed.

The DMT also confiscated the annual revenue licenses of these vehicles, instructing owners to complete repairs and present the vehicles for re-inspection at the same location on June 30.

The inspection was conducted under the supervision of Nuwara Eliya District Chief Motor Vehicle Inspector Jaliya Bandara, with the participation of officers from the Air Emissions Inspection Division of the Department of Motor Traffic, including Motor Vehicle Inspector M. S. L. Chandana Bandara.

Chief Police Inspector Viraj Withanage, Officer-in-Charge of the Ginigathhena Police, along with Traffic Division officers, also assisted in the operation.

Former Executive Director of the National Lotteries Board (NLB), Thusitha Halloluwa, has been granted bail after being produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court today (June 20).

He was released on 02 surety bonds of Rs.200,000 each.

The court also imposed an overseas travel ban on him.

Chairman of the All-Ceylon Egg Producers’ Association, R.M. Sarath Rathnayake has said new measures to announce daily standardized egg prices will be introduced from next Monday (June 23) to ensure fair pricing for consumers.

The prices covering wholesale, retail, and intermediary rates will be communicated daily at 5.00am via SMS to small, medium, and large-scale egg producers, as well as bakery owners, food manufacturers, and hotels through the number 070-7030700.

He warned of recent practices where eggs were bought at Rs.15-18 and stockpiled, stating such actions will no longer be tolerated.

He also criticized groups posing as “egg associations” without actual farming experience.

The cost of producing an egg is around Rs.28 for large farms, Rs.29-30 for medium range farms, and Rs.32 for small-scale producers, he further said.