CPC lapses in low-quality petrol issue

29 August 2011 03:00 pm

The three member committee that probed into the circumstances that led to the import a stock of contaminated petrol and the aftermath of it last month, has found a series of lapses on the part of CEYPETCO officials and recommends to charge the losses either from the company that exported low quality petrol and from the officials who were involved in the racket.

The committee report was handed over to the Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premjayantha by its Chairman, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M. M. C. Ferdinando last morning at the ministry.

The committee has found that the approved government procedure and guidelines had not been followed when the questionable stock of 20,000 metric tons of petrol was purchased combined with a stock of 15,000 diesel.

According to the decisions arrived at by the weekly ‘Stock Review Committee’ , three tenders submitted to supply petrol from May 25 to May 31 of 2011 had been rejected causing a severe shortage of petrol in the market.

The shortage had become worse by June 16 compelling the CEYPETCO to go for emergency purchases.

The controversial stock of petrol imported as an emergency purchase had not been in conformity with the accepted quality standard and the percentage of Oxygenate was much higher than the accepted level, the committee has found.

A part of the full stock of contaminated stock of 20,000, a  513 metric tons just imported had been released to the market directly on June 17, stalling around 2,000 vehicles that pumped them.

The committee has recommended ample compensation to the motorists who were affected and also to charge the damage caused to the CEYPETCO as a result of this fraudulent act from the errant company who exported the contaminated stock of petrol.

It also recommended that that charges can be made towards any damage that could not be collected from the company from officials who were involved in the racket. The other members of the committee were E. M. Piyasena and S.M.C.G. Samarakone. (Sandun A. Jayasekera)