Colombo: The Daily Mirror reported on Monday, citing sources in Sri Lanka’s Ceylon, that the economic crisis-hit Sri Lanka has finally run out of fuel as only 1,100 tonnes of petrol and 7,500 tonnes of diesel are left, which is not enough for even a day. . Petroleum Corporation (CPC) trade union. According to the Daily Mirror, CPC sources said the token system announced by Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Sunday for fuel rationing to the public would also prove fruitless as essential services would be given first priority. Small stocks of fuel that are left.
The minister, who last week reassured the public about the arrival of a fuel vessel, acknowledged that the date for the next fuel shipment’s arrival in the county was uncertain.
Talking about it, sources said, “Last week there were no ships en route to Sri Lanka as Sri Lanka failed to make necessary payments and give international bank guarantees and till date have not made any payment for fresh shipments.” Quoted by Daily Mirror.
“Sri Lanka has also been blacklisted by international companies because it has defaulted on its loans and companies now require international bank guarantees for fresh orders,” the media said, citing sources. With no fuel shipments any time soon, the country will come to a complete standstill from this week, as public transport will also come to a grinding halt. Not only this, but the prolonged power cuts will also come into force soon as the required fuel will not be supplied to the power plants, sources said.
Wijesekera said on Saturday that the suppliers have informed state-owned fuel importer and distributor Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) that they will not deliver petrol, diesel and crude oil scheduled for this week and next week. Logistics reason.
He said that priority will be given to public transport, power generation and industries till the next shipment arrives. Hence, limited stock of diesel and petrol will be distributed to some gas stations throughout the next week. Further, on Sunday the minister announced that fuel stations across the country would issue tokens for consumers from today, as only limited stocks of fuel were available. ,
He said that the government has sought help from the Sri Lankan army and police to issue token numbers to the public for filling petrol and diesel. The public was requested to register their mobile numbers at their nearest filling stations and once their numbers are issued, they will be informed, Wijesekera said.
The minister, who last week reassured the public about the arrival of a fuel vessel, also acknowledged that the date for the next fuel shipment’s arrival in the county was uncertain and apologized for the delay. “We are working with all new and existing suppliers. I apologize for the delay and inconvenience,” he said.
Notably, Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, leading to severe shortages of essential commodities such as food, medicine, cooking gas and fuel across the island nation.
The nearly bankrupt country, coupled with an acute foreign exchange crisis that resulted in foreign debt defaults, announced in April that it would raise foreign debt of about USD 7 billion for the year out of about USD 25 billion due by 2026. suspending repayment. Sri Lanka’s total external debt.
The economic crisis has particularly affected food security, agriculture, livelihoods and access to health services. Food production in the last harvest season was 40 – 50 percent lower than in the previous year, and the current agricultural season is at risk, with shortages of seeds, fertilisers, fuel and credit.
Sri Lanka is one of the few countries designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to go without food this year due to an expected global food shortage.