📕✈️ Passport queues may finally end in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰, but at a high cost!

Here is the bottom line:

⭕ No e-passports.

⭕ The government was forced to accept Min Alles' deal for 750,000 Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) from Thales-JIT due to an extreme shortage.

⭕ New P series passport will have only 32 pages instread of current N series with 64 pages.

⭕ But will cost 40%+ more. €4.52 (~US$ 4.96) each, which is US$ ~1.50 higher than the N-series.

⭕ Dept of I &E will start issuing New passport starting on Monday (Oct. 21) -Min. Vijitha Herath (This is very optimistic timeline, this could be further delayed)

⭕ AKD & NPP promised accountability for every tax rupee of the public. This entire situation has caused, and continues to cause, massive losses to taxpayers—not to mention the hardships faced by those who have spent days in queues. A serious investigation is needed, and those involved must face serious consequences.

#SriLanka #Passports