Uncertainty over petrol and cooking gas supplies continues, long queues remain

The public has been left with uncertainty over Petrol and Gas supplies with thousands queuing up at fuel stations across the country despite warnings that supplies will not be available until the weekend.

However, the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he expected the fuel issue would be resolved by the weekend

More queues were witnessed today outside fuel stations, despite some of them being completely closed down.

A senior Ceylon Petroleum Corporation official said that they have no plans to issue Petrol today as the stocks have not come in today, though a shipment which has arrived will be unloaded today. “We are hopeful that the supply of petrol will be restored over the weekend”, the official said.

Despite the non -availability of fuel for the public,  CPC sources said that senior officials, staff of the Petroleum corporation and those with influence were being provided fuel from Zone 1 at Kolonnawa during the past few days.

Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekara said that they have given a guarantee to a shipping company that they would pay an arrears payment of 53 million dollars in August for a shipment of oil which was brought during January.

He added that they are collecting the required dollars to pay for the fuel shipment which had reached Sri Lanka.

He added the public not remain in queues at fuel stations until the islandwide distribution of fuel is done.
He also added that said posts shared on MPs being given subsidized fuel rates are false.

“I do understand the frustration and anger from the public, posts shared on MPs being given subsidized fuel rates are false. No MP from either side or anyone has been given subsidized rates than the current market prices given to the public” he said

The Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thaduwa said that the posts shared on MPs being given subsidized fuel rates is false and explained that the speaker had requested them to give the fuel in their reserve to be given to the Members of the parliament.

He explained that the fuel pump attached to the reserves has not been altered in their pricing by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. However, they charge the current pricing from the MP’s via receipts.

In a related development, the decision to provide fuel for Parliamentarians from the Police garage has drawn protests. The decision had been made at the request of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

Apart from that, the Road from Maligawatte to Panchikawatte was blocked due to a protest by a group of people demanding fuel. 

Meanwhile, a shipment of Gas which could not be unloaded due to the adverse weather conditions off Uswetakeiyawa has been diverted to the Colombo port and unloaded today, Chairman of Litro Gas Vijitha Herath said.

He said though they planned to provide 80,000 cylinders for domestic users, they could not implement the plan due to adverse weather conditions. Gas vendors said that they were uncertain until the stocks reached them.

“We have told the people waiting in the queues that we cannot give any assurance as to when the stocks will arrive”, a gas vendor in Wattala said.