The Department of Motor Traffic’s (DMT) e-Motoring digitalisation project remains stalled eight years after it was procured, with the department confirming that the initiative is currently in ‘silent mode’ and that it has no information on its future.

The project, formally procured in 2018, was designed as a comprehensive digital platform to replace the department’s outdated manual vehicle registration system dating back to 1996. It was expected to significantly reduce corruption risks, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen institutional transparency within the DMT.DMT Acting Commissioner General Tharaka Devapriya told The Sunday Morning that the project had made no recent progress.“There is no update on the project yet. It is silent. It is being handled at the ministry level, so we at the DMT have no information.

“The procurement was done by the ministry, it was awarded by the ministry, and the execution was done by the ministry. Therefore, whether it will continue, has been discontinued, or how it will proceed in the future must be inquired from the ministry. Currently, it is in silent mode,” Devapriya said.Multiple attempts to contact ministry officials for an update were unsuccessful by the time the newspaper went to press.The prolonged delay in implementing the project has drawn renewed attention amid an escalating investigation by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) into large-scale vehicle registration fraud.

Multiple high-profile officials, including former commissioners, have been arrested in connection with alleged fraudulent vehicle registrations and bribery networks. The continued reliance on the legacy manual registration system has allegedly created opportunities for manipulation and irregular transactions.

The controversy intensified following a meeting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) on 4 March. During the session, senior officials maintained that the legacy system remained operational and continued to receive updates.

However, subsequent reports indicated that the external software vendor responsible for supporting the legacy database had discontinued its services by late 2024, leaving critical components without technical support.

The failure to implement the e-Motoring system has also resulted in significant inconvenience to the public. The lack of synchronisation between the outdated vehicle registration database and other Government platforms has prevented newly registered vehicle owners from accessing essential services, including the national fuel quota system.

Between 2021 and 2023, the e-Motoring project encountered major setbacks due to legal disputes, the withdrawal of a key international partner, and subsequent contract renegotiations. Although authorities reportedly resumed work on the project in 2024 after revised cost proposals were submitted for approval, the absence of any recent progress has raised fresh concerns over procurement management and administrative accountability.