“An obstacle-free transportation service is essential for disabled passengers…”
“Social welfare activities should not be politicized…”
The establishment of this specialized center at the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center on the morning of the 11th will provide passengers with a range of services, including an emergency notification number, communication facilities for hearing-impaired passengers, and information access. Notably, the help desk will be staffed entirely by employees with special needs. Simultaneously, the Deputy Minister also launched the website of the Makumbura Multimodal Transport Center.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Prasanna Gunawardena emphasized that social welfare activities should not be politicized and that constantly involving politics in every endeavor hinders social progress. He further stated that to achieve social transformation, it is essential to extend a helping hand to individuals with special needs.
Sudath Wasantha de Silva, the first visually impaired Member of Parliament, who attended the event, stated:
“People with disabilities face significant challenges in public transport. Public transport is not accessible to hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities. As a result, we have lost even the fundamental human right of mobility. We have been confined to our homes and forced to live in great distress. The National People’s Power is currently working to change this situation and establish an obstacle-free transportation system. Today’s event is one step in that direction. We hope that tomorrow, this will be further developed, and an obstacle-free transportation system will be created, providing people with disabilities the facility to enjoy public transport. It is clear that this will also enable people with disabilities to contribute to the country’s development.”
The event was attended by various dignitaries, including Gampaha District Member of Parliament Chaminda Lalith, JICA Senior Project Specialist Namal Ralapanawa, National Transport Commission Director General Nayomi Jayawardena, Director-Operations Sherine Athukorala, Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority Manager Prasanna Kure, Senior Vice President of the Visually Impaired People’s Federation Rathnapala Liyanage, and President of the Sri Lanka Central Deaf Association Brian Susantha.
