Colombo: Sri Lanka abruptly restricted fuel supplies and asked residents to stay at home, raising the risk of further unrest as the government struggles to provide essential goods in the face of a severe sovereign debt crisis that has plagued the country. Shake for months.
The island nation’s cabinet of ministers on Monday decided to limit the delivery of fuel for essential services to 10 July, spokesman Bandula Gunawardene said in a televised statement, adding that inter-provincial public transport is likely to come to a halt.
“Ports, health services, food transport will be provided with petrol and diesel, while all other sectors are requested to stay at home and provide online services in this difficult time,” Gunvardhan said. “Our country is facing an unprecedented situation of finance and foreign exchange crisis.”
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe Told lawmakers last week that the economy had “completely collapsed”, adding that the island nation was unable to buy fuel because of shortages of essential goods and power outages. His government is in talks with the International Monetary Fund as well as bilateral creditors such as India and China to set up new funds to pay for imports since it defaulted on its dollar bonds earlier this year and foreign exchanges. Stocks dwindled.
The government had already closed public schools and asked civil servants to work from home to ease transport, leaving many roads in and around the capital Colombo deserted in the past, even That thousands of vehicles were standing in the queue, which were waiting. Filling stations will have to be refilled.
Violent Protests After President In May Gotabaya RajapakseThe brother resigned as prime minister after clashes between government supporters and opponents. Although Rajapaksa has since garnered support in parliament and vowed to complete the last two years of his term, tensions remain high.
Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Sunday that Sri Lanka plans to allow foreign companies to distribute fuel to ease the severe shortage that cripples economic activity.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has agreed to pay dues to companies for fuel supplies, the President’s Office said in a statement late Monday. President Rajapaksa instructed officials to take “immediate action to import fuel using the existing funds available until then”, without elaborating.
The government is sending its envoys to Qatar and Russia this week to secure fresh supplies and is hoping to approve a $500 million line of credit for fuel imports from India.
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Milinda Moragoda met with India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi on Monday to discuss the possibility of securing essential petrol and diesel supplies for the island nation. Of. on an immediate basis.
According to a Facebook post of the High Commission, Moragoda briefed Puri about the “serious challenges being faced at present with respect to the supply and distribution of petroleum products and the serious difficulties being faced by the people”.
The island nation’s cabinet of ministers on Monday decided to limit the delivery of fuel for essential services to 10 July, spokesman Bandula Gunawardene said in a televised statement, adding that inter-provincial public transport is likely to come to a halt.
“Ports, health services, food transport will be provided with petrol and diesel, while all other sectors are requested to stay at home and provide online services in this difficult time,” Gunvardhan said. “Our country is facing an unprecedented situation of finance and foreign exchange crisis.”
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe Told lawmakers last week that the economy had “completely collapsed”, adding that the island nation was unable to buy fuel because of shortages of essential goods and power outages. His government is in talks with the International Monetary Fund as well as bilateral creditors such as India and China to set up new funds to pay for imports since it defaulted on its dollar bonds earlier this year and foreign exchanges. Stocks dwindled.
The government had already closed public schools and asked civil servants to work from home to ease transport, leaving many roads in and around the capital Colombo deserted in the past, even That thousands of vehicles were standing in the queue, which were waiting. Filling stations will have to be refilled.
Violent Protests After President In May Gotabaya RajapakseThe brother resigned as prime minister after clashes between government supporters and opponents. Although Rajapaksa has since garnered support in parliament and vowed to complete the last two years of his term, tensions remain high.
Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said on Sunday that Sri Lanka plans to allow foreign companies to distribute fuel to ease the severe shortage that cripples economic activity.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has agreed to pay dues to companies for fuel supplies, the President’s Office said in a statement late Monday. President Rajapaksa instructed officials to take “immediate action to import fuel using the existing funds available until then”, without elaborating.
The government is sending its envoys to Qatar and Russia this week to secure fresh supplies and is hoping to approve a $500 million line of credit for fuel imports from India.
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to New Delhi Milinda Moragoda met with India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi on Monday to discuss the possibility of securing essential petrol and diesel supplies for the island nation. Of. on an immediate basis.
According to a Facebook post of the High Commission, Moragoda briefed Puri about the “serious challenges being faced at present with respect to the supply and distribution of petroleum products and the serious difficulties being faced by the people”.