Push-start, again, for stalled online vehicle registration system
The Department of Motor Traffic is gearing up to resume the muchawaited eMotoring project, Commissioner General Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasingha said.
It involves developing, implementing and installing an ICT solution to improve services provided by the DMT and the provincial department of motor traffic.
This project aims to update and replace the existing motor vehicle registration system, introduce new practices, and streamline vehicle registration and imports.
The Government, through DMT, started the eMotoring project in 2009 by implementing a business process re-engineering process following ICTA consultations. The project has been delayed since 2018, due to the lack of a suitable building, the coronavirus pandemic, and the economic crisis, he said.
The department will proceed with the project on the directions of the Transport Ministry following the recommendations of the committee appointed by the Cabinet and the Attorney General’s instructions, he said.
At present, the MTD is handling about 55,000 transactions a month, excluding new registrations due to vehicle import restrictions and mainly from transfers, Mr. Weerasingha said, adding that before 2020, more than 90,000 transactions a month were handled.
Allegations of corruption by officials, irregularities and malpractices have prompted the Government to implement a new digital system.
Under the new eMotoring system, fraudulently changing the chassis numbers, engine numbers, and details of vehicles is not possible, Mr. Weerasingha said.
Old vehicle records have also been moved to the new system.
All imports of vehicles will be regulated and monitored from the time import approval is given.
According to the Commissioner General and Commissioner ICT, all stakeholders, like Sri Lanka Customs, the Ministry of Finance, the police, vehicle importers (brand new and reconditioned), agents, banks, leasing companies, and insurers are consulted on the eMotoring solution.
It is web-based. Via the internet, users can file applications for vehicle registration and transfers; payments could be made at the site or online using credit or debit cards or cash, while appointments or inquiries could be made online.
The Cabinet has approved a site and is planning to implement it by July this year.
Metropolitan Advanced Technology has been awarded the contract and has signed the agreement to implement the system.
A senior official at Metropolitan Advanced Technology told the Sunday Times that DMT and the Ministry of Transport invited international competitive bidding on the expression of interest, followed by stage two envelope bidding in 2016 on a build, operate, and transfer basis, where the investment is by the contractor and DMT will pay a fee on the number of transactions defined only as new registrations and transfers.
He noted that allegations about Rs 12 billion misappropriation were baseless, as even hypothetically at Rs 1,000 per transaction, for minimum transactions of 60,000 per month over five years, it will add up to Rs 3.6 billion.
If transactions double (100% with an improvement in new vehicle imports), Rs 12 billion will not be achieved.
According to official estimates, if the project is not implemented, the Government will lose revenue of more than Rs 15 billion, with malpractices happening in vehicle registration, he said.
After a tender evaluation process, Metropolitan Advanced Technology was selected, and a contract was signed in July 2018.
Metropolitan officials said they had been ready to implement the project since the signing of the contract.
In 2019, the software was developed, but they said they could not implement it due to reasons beyond their control.
Originally, the DMT was planning to host the eMotoring facility at the Narahenpita head office and islandwide DMT district offices.
“Two DMT offices were to be set up at Hambantota and Colombo Port to monitor vehicle imports and to affix a sticker to the vehicle with an identification number. This is to identify the vehicles at the entry point before first registration to register the vehicle under the proper category and to check whether correct import duties and taxes had been paid for that category,’’ a senior official said.
Site visits were made and recommendations offered. But, since the Government changed at that time, a new transport minister and commissioner general were appointed. They revisited the project, and at the request of the then-president, the ICTA looked at the software that had already been developed.
The new minister and DMT management looked for a new place to implement the project because the DMT head office building was not suitable.
“The coronavirus pandemic of 2020–21 further delayed the implementation, and during this time we went from one site to another looking to implement the eMotoring project. DMT requested that Metropolitan give a financial proposal. In 2022, again, the Government changed, while the company had been invested in this project since 2018. The overseas partners were not happy. They wanted to leave the project due to losses, undue delays, and economic issues due to the unstable old system,’’ a senior official of Metropolitan said.
“Being a reputed business entity in Sri Lanka since 1958, we cannot let down our obligation in the contract, and we decided to continue the project without any hesitation and opted to partner with one of the most prestigious software developers, Millennium IT (MIT) in Sri Lanka.’’
As a responsible company, we reinvested and totally redeveloped the software, which was 95% developed but needs to be updated to meet security threats, he said.
He said that a new eMotoring platform has been presented to the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Technology, ICTA, and DMT several times.