The government has missed its November deadline for issuing new high-security vehicle number plates due to delays during the technical inspection phase, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena told the media. He said the issuance of the plates is now expected to begin within the next two months.
According to the Deputy Minister, more than 100,000 vehicles are currently awaiting number plates, creating a significant backlog following the introduction of the new security-enhanced system. All new vehicle registrations have been on hold until the plates are ready.
Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Motor Traffic, B.M.A.A. Bannahaka, noted that the department registers 400–500 new vehicles daily, and the suspension in issuing plates over the past six months has led to severe congestion.
Deputy Minister Gunasena explained that the new plates are undergoing final testing, including verification of advanced security features such as machine-readable elements, improved identification capabilities, and enhanced protection against counterfeiting.
The plates were submitted to the University of Moratuwa for technical evaluation. Some security components failed during testing, requiring additional examinations—including tests at the international level. As a result, the plates could not be issued by the November 15 target.
Gunasena said the Department of Motor Transport has informed him that the issues identified during testing have now been resolved. Based on the latest updates, the government expects to begin issuing the new plates within two months, once all testing is complete and the contract is finalized.
He also dismissed allegations of irregularities in the tender process. The Deputy Minister insisted that the procurement and evaluation procedures for the high-security plates followed standard government guidelines, and that concerns raised by some parties were connected to applications submitted by unsuccessful bidders.
He added that entities failing to meet procurement requirements cannot be reconsidered and that such rejections do not justify reopening the tender. Since the awarded tender remains valid until technical verification is complete, a new tender process is unnecessary, he said.
Gunasena emphasized that the current delays stem solely from technical testing issues, not from procurement-related problems.
