Metropolitan Group continues driving licence operation till army takeover

Metropolitan Group, the present service provider, will be continuing the maintenance and the issuance of National Smart Card Based Driver’s Licences till the whole system is taken over by Sri Lanka Army next January, the Motor Traf f i c Department ( DMT) Commissioner General Sumith Alahakoon said.

The present service provider will continue with a new contract at Rs. 1,000 per card for six months till December 3 in accordance with the cabinet approval given to extend its period for the maintenance and service of the existing system, he told the Business Times.

Design, computerisation, supply, implementation, operations and maintenance of smart card driver’s licence solution, printing and issuance of cards using special card printing facility are being carried out by the private company since 2009 up to now.

The process includes capturing fingerprints, photograph, blood group, organ donor, signature and bio data of the applicants digitally, Maintenance of the data base and regional operations (9 district offices) and with card printing facilities also the supply of equipment, software, consumables, DL cards are also part of the contract.

This system currently maintained by a private company will be handled by the Sri Lanka Army with effect from January 1 next year, Mr. Alahakoon said.

A Transport Ministry official said that the cost of the card is only Rs. 275350 which is 25- 30 per cent of the total cost of other items needed for the finished product. The driving licence information system and printing of smart card and maintaining the driver’s data base were a very complex process and the department had to rely on the private sector which had all the experience and expertise at that time, the official said.