Printing of vehicle number plates, which had been suspended for over a year, resumed today (08) at the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) premises in Werahera.

The programme was launched under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena.

Addressing the event, the Deputy Minister said the suspension had resulted from delays in procurement procedures related to awarding the printing contract to a private company. He said the process was subsequently completed following required technical evaluations and approval procedures, allowing printing operations to recommence today.

He noted that during the suspension period, a backlog of approximately 600,000 number plates had accumulated.

He further stated that since the awarding of the contract, around 150,000 vehicle number plates remain to be printed and issued. The contracted company has been tasked with clearing the pending workload.

Deputy Minister Gunasena expressed confidence that the backlog would be cleared in the coming months, adding that the system is now capable of handling daily demand and issuing number plates for newly registered vehicles without delay.

He also announced the introduction of a new notification system, under which vehicle owners will receive SMS alerts once their number plates have been printed and dispatched.